Kiwi used to be an exotic, unassuming visitor to the produce section of your supermarket. If you noticed it at all, you probably had no idea what to do with it and certainly had no idea what a nutritional powerhouse it was.

People who were brave enough to cut it open often ended up just using it as a garnish on a salad of other fruits.

Now kiwi has finally come into its own.

Kiwi looks a little like a fuzzy, brown egg. It was originally cultivated in ancient China, where it was known as the Chinese gooseberry. It was brought to New Zealand in the early 1900s and renamed after their national treasure, the kiwi bird, which, interestingly, is a fuzzy brown bird that does not actually fly.

In about 1960 it was introduced to the San Joaquin Valley in California. The harvest starts in October and fruit starts showing up in the markets about the middle of the month. Of course New Zealand fruits are available during the rest of the year since their summer is our winter.

The kiwi, which is technically a berry, is about 3 inches long and weighs about 2.5 ounces. When it is harvested, the pickers wear cotton gloves to make sure that the fruit is not damaged. Inside it is actually quite a beautiful symmetrical combination of dark green fruit, and black seeds. The conversion of starch into sugar keeps on going after harvest so it keeps getting riper and riper.

The outer skin looks a little intimidating, but underneath it is a sweet, delicate flesh that reminds us somewhat of a combination of other fruits like strawberries, nectarines and melons. The skin carries many of the kiwi's nutrients and fiber, so although you wouldn't think so to look at it, you can eat the kiwi just like an apple. You can also cut the fruit in half and scoop out the flesh or cut it in quarters.

An interesting property of kiwi is an enzyme called actinidin that turns this fruit into an excellent meat tenderizer. Just puree fresh kiwi and use it as a marinade for beef, poultry or pork. Let it stand about 30 minutes before cooking. Or, if you want to tenderize the meat without flavoring it, you can just cut the fruit in half and rub it over the meat before cooking.

Because of this enzyme, you cannot use kiwi in foods like gelatin unless you poach it very briefly to deactivate the enzyme. It must also be briefly poached before using it with any dairy products like ice cream or frozen yogurt because otherwise it will impart a strange flavor.

According to a study published about three years ago by Paul Lachance of Rutgers University, kiwi is the most nutrient-dense of all fruits.

One serving (two medium-sized kiwis) has 60 mg of vitamin C (more than twice as much as an orange). It has 25 grams of fiber per serving (more than apples, with fewer calories). It is a better (and lower calorie) source of potassium than oranges or bananas (a serving will give you more than 10 percent of the recommended dietary intake). It is a good source of vitamin E, which is very hard to find in low-fat food sources. It is loaded with antioxidants, has lots of amino acids (the building blocks of protein) and is a significant dietary source of folic acid, copper and manganese, all of which are very important and somewhat hard to get in the American diet. And if that weren't enough, kiwi has measurable amounts of vitamin B6, niacin, thiamine, riboflavin, vitamin A precursors (carotenoids), calcium, iron, phosphorus, magnesium, copper and pantothenic acid.

When you select kiwi, look for firm, unblemished specimens. The size doesn't matter. If it is ripe, the outside of the fruit should give way to slight pressure. If it doesn't give a little, it isn't ready to eat. You can speed up the ripening process by putting it in a vented plastic bag with an apple or a banana and leaving it out on the kitchen counter.

Kiwi is not a delicate fruit, except in flavor. It will keep for several days at room temperature and for about a month in the refrigerator.

We have accumulated the following suggestions of our own and some from the California Kiwifruit Commission (CQ) on using kiwi:

Top a bagel with sliced kiwi or add it to a sandwich for a sweet surprise.

Because it is so small and portable (and already neatly packaged), it goes along nicely in a lunch box or to a picnic on the beach. Try dicing it up and putting it on top of cereal, pancakes, waffles or French toast.

Arrange it is a pretty pattern with bananas and sliced strawberries to make an edible garnish for any foods.

Substitute kiwi anywhere you would use sliced chilled tomatoes, in a green salad, for example.

Make a refreshing drink by pureeing kiwi fruit and blending the juice with orange or pineapple juice. You can also use the puree over angel food cake or frozen yogurt or mix into plain or vanilla yogurt (but be sure to heed the advice above about using it on dairy products).

Here's a recipe for a fabulous, low-fat salad.

Asian Kiwi Chicken Salad

3/4 pounds skinless, boneless cooked chicken breast
2 teaspoons grated lime zest
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
8 cups (loosely packed) Romaine lettuce
2 kiwi peeled, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
1/2 cup canned sliced water chestnuts, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup sliced scallions

Steam the chicken until cooked through (10 to 12 minutes). Transfer to a plate and cool. Reserve any juices that collect on the plate. (Note: You can also use leftover chicken for this.)

In a small bowl combine the lime zest, lime juice, honey, soy sauce, ginger and any reserved chicken juices.

Pour 1/3 cup of this dressing over the chicken slices and set aside to marinate for at least an hour.

Line individual plates with shredded lettuce. Arrange the kiwi and water chestnut slices around the outside and mound the chicken in the center and sprinkle with scallions.

Drizzle the remaining dressing over the salad (including any left in the bowl in which the chicken was marinating).

Makes 4 servings, each of which has 192 calories, 1.5 grams of fat, 70 mg of vitamin C, 80 mg of calcium, 2.2 mg beta carotene, 2.8 mg of iron and 3.8 grams of dietary fiber.