“Kiwi-flavored” bananas Kiwi’na spotted at Japanese supermarkets

Do you really Kiwi’na hurt me?

A little while ago an April Fool’s joke misunderstood as real went viral which claimed that it was possible to make a kiwi-banana hybrid. This odd creation had the outward appearance of a banana but the fleshy inside of a kiwi fruit.

Although nothing more than a flight of fancy, it turns out something similar was really made, in the form of a “kiwi-flavored banana.“ Our writer Maro stumbled across this unusual variety named Kiwi’na at the supermarket and was immediately intrigued.

▼ According to the label they were grown in The Philippines

This was of particular interest to Maro because she had a dislike for kiwi and hadn’t eaten one in about 20 years. She was a fan of bananas, however, so maybe this was her gateway back to the tangy world of fuzzy brown fruit.

It took her a little time to come to this conclusion, and as a result the supermarket was sold out of Kiwi’na by the time she returned. Undeterred she checked around online and bought some from the website of its producer, Sumifru.

▼ They’re delivered in foam sleeves like kiwis.

It turned out to be an expensive experiment, because three packs of Kiwi’na cost 1,980 yen (US$16) with shipping included. That worked out to more than 600 yen ($5) per bag. Not only that, but Kiwi’na were considerably smaller than your average banana. Maro figured an especially large-mouthed person could down one in about two or three bites.

▼ Left: Regular Banana, Right: Kiwi’na

On the other hand, with such a premium price, this would likely be a high quality product. She just hoped it didn’t taste too much like kiwi…

After taking the first bite, she was relieved to learn that Kiwi’na tasted “99 percent” like a banana. Given her aversion to kiwi, she was on high alert for it, but couldn’t detect a trace of it. In fact, if someone had given her some Kiwa’na and not told her about the premise, she probably wouldn’t have noticed.

▼ Left: Regular Banana, Right: Kiwi’na

That being said, Kiwa’na tasted remarkably different from any other banana she’d ever had. The essential banana flavor was the same, but it was more sour than it was sweet. In other words, it didn’t taste like a kiwi, but it was as tangy as a kiwi.

It was a totally new spin on the banana experience, and Maro found it quite addictive. Her next impulse was to make a parfait and see how well it blended with chocolate and ice cream.

And the compatibility was incredible! The new sourness of Kiwa’na balanced out the sweetness of the other ingredients for a very well-rounded dessert.

Although it didn’t get her any closer to a tolerance of kiwi, Kiwa’na had completely captivated Maro. It’s something she would recommend to anyone, but warns that it might not be possible to go back to regular bananas, because that’s what happened to her after trying it.

Related: Sumifu/Kiwi’na
Photos: ©SoraNews24
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