Dried Kiwi ( Kiwi Slices )

Dried kiwi has a health halo because fresh kiwi is famous for vitamin C, and the dried slices do keep a useful share of it, around 160 milligrams per 100 grams in standard tables, which is a lot for a dried fruit. But drying concentrates sugar in kiwi just as it does in every fruit, and many commercial kiwi slices are also lightly sweetened before drying, because raw kiwi is tart enough to make faces. So treat these the way you would treat any good dried fruit: a few slices at a time, counted out, not a bag finished in front of the television. Four or five slices is a serving. Eaten that way, you get the flavour and the vitamin C without eating a dessert's worth of sugar by accident.

Straight from the pack is the obvious use, and the green colour makes them the slice children pick first out of a mixed bowl. They are at their best, though, as the sharp note in richer company: chopped through trail mix with kaju and badam, scattered over ice cream and custard, folded into fruit salads where everything else is soft and sweet, or laid on top of a cake where a plain top would look unfinished. Bakers use them the way they use cherries, for colour and bite. A 250g pack is the right first buy; the kilo is for households that have already found their use for it.

Good slices are a clear green, pliable rather than stiff, and smell fruity, not sugary. Slices that have gone dark and leathery are old stock; they will still be edible but the tang will have flattened. Keep the open pack airtight and out of sunlight, and in a hot kitchen move it to the fridge, where dried fruit holds its colour and chew far longer. The rest of the range sits in our dried items collection, and the season's rates for the whole shelf are in the dry fruits price list.

What is the dried kiwi price in Pakistan? At WD Foods, Rs 2,000 for 1kg, Rs 1,000 for 500g and Rs 500 for 250g. Imported brands and other stores run higher, up to Rs 3,000 a kilo.

Is dried kiwi healthy? It carries real vitamin C and fibre, and real sugar too. A few slices as a snack or garnish is a sensible portion; it is a fruit, not a supplement.

How long do the slices keep? Sealed and stored airtight in a cool place, months. Once opened, keep the pack sealed tight and finish it while the slices are still pliable and green.

WD Foods is the online store of Wahid Nimco, working from Quetta since 1990. We deliver across Pakistan in 3 to 5 business days. If you are in Quetta, the shop on Masjid Road is open every day from 9 AM to 10 PM.