Kiwi fruit contain a very special enzyme that does not occur in any other kind of fruit: actinidine. Actinidine breaks down protein. Put it in contact with a piece of meat and the meat becomes more tender.
So you can use kiwis to tenderise your piece of meat. How?

Simple: rub both sides of the meat with kiwi skin or slices of kiwi and leave for 20 minutes. The meat becomes wonderfully soft, ready for immediate frying, barbecuing or roasting.

Important: actinidine also has a disadvantage. The enzyme breaks down the protein in gelatine and dairy products. So it is better not to use uncooked kiwis in dishes that contain dairy products or gelatine that you don’t intend eating immediately. Blanch the kiwis beforehand, then you can use them in any dish you like.

But we haven’t really discussed actinidine yet: the substance has an extremely positive effect on the digestion, which is one of the reasons why kiwi fruit are so healthy. Read all about them in the section on ‘kiwis are healthy’.