Things you need to know about the Fruit PEAR

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT PEAR FRUIT

Pears are delicious and sweet pomaceous fruits with juicy flesh. The term “pear” actually describes a number of trees andbushes in the genus Pyrus, of the larger family Rosaceae. There are a wide variety of pear trees and only a few of them bear edible fruits that can be consumed by humans; a number of pear varieties are only used as decorative trees and shrubs. The fruit is the upper end of the flower stalk and is typically narrow at the top (stem) and wider at the bottom. However, this is not the way to ultimately determine a “pear” variety. 

Some pears are shaped just like apples! The appearance of the flesh inside the skin is also similar to apples, although it is a slightly grittier in consistency, due to the presence of stone cells. This is one of the most obvious differences between the two fruits, apart from the taste. Pears are valuable fruits that have been widely used around the world and savored for their delicious flavor since ancient times. The health benefits of pears include their ability to aid in weight loss, improve digestion and heart health, regulate the body’s fluid levels, and reduce blood pressure. 

They also increase the cognitive ability, prevent cancer, and promote wound healing and tissue repair. Pears help to defend against birth defects, boost the immune system, and reduce inflammation. They increase the metabolism, improve circulation, protect against osteoporosis and aid in skin, eye, and hair care. Pears are classified into Asian pears and European pears. Asian pear varieties have a firm texture, which does not change after harvesting or storage. European pears turn soft and juicy when they ripen completely. 

There are almost 3000 varietiesof pears found across the world. Some of the most common varieties of pears include:

 1. Bosc: It is a cinnamon brown colored pear, with a long, tapered neck and honey-like flavor.

 2.Bartlett: Bartlett is considered the best variety of pear. It comes in colors like yellow and green.

 3.Comice: Comice is a round, short pear with red or green colorings. It has a soft and juicy flesh.

 4.Forelle: Forelle is a green pear and is speckled like a trout. It is a small-sized pear which turns yellow as it ripens.

 5.Green Anjou: Green Anjou is a short-necked and compact pear which doesn’t change color while ripening.

 6.Red Anjou: Red Anjou, as the name indicates, is rich red in color. This variety of pear has high amounts of anthocyanin in it.

 7.Red Bartlett: Red Bartlett is bright red in color with brown vertical stripes.

 8.Seckel: Seckel is the smallest variety of pear available. It is usually yellow or olive green in color with broad red patches.

 9.Starkrimson: Starkrimson is a narrow-necked pear, which is bright crimson red in color. This variety of pear looks amazing in salads.

The Nutritional Value of Pears:

Nutritive Value per 100 g (USDA)

Energy 58 Kcal 3%

Carbohydrates 13.81 g 11%

Protein 0.38 g <1%

Total Fat 0.12 g 0.5%

Cholesterol 0 mg 0%

Dietary Fiber 3.10 g 8%

Vitamins

Folates 7 µg 2%

Niacin 0.157 mg 1%

Pantothenic acid 0.048 mg 1%

Pyridoxine 0.028 mg 2%

Riboflavin 0.025 mg 2%

Thiamin 0.012 mg 1%

Vitamin A 23 IU 1%

Vitamin C 4.2 mg 7%

Vitamin E 0.12 mg 1%

Vitamin K 4.5 µg 4%

Electrolytes

Sodium 1 mg 0%

Potassium 119 mg 2.5%

Minerals

Calcium 9 mg 1%

Copper 0.082 mg 9%

Iron 0.17 mg 2%

Magnesium 7 mg 2%

Manganese 2%

Phosphorus 11 mg 2%

Zinc 0.10 mg 1%

Phyto-Nutrients

Carotene-ß 12 µg —

Crypto-xanthin-ß 2 µg —

Lutein-zeaxanthin 45 µg —

   HISTORICAL DETAILS OF PEAR

Pear cultivation in cool temperate climates extends to the remotest antiquity, and there is evidence of its use as a food since prehistoric times. Many traces of it have been found in prehistoric pile dwellings around Lake Zurich. The word “pear”, or its equivalent, occurs in all the Celtic languages, while in Slavic and other dialects, differing appellations, still referring to the same thing, are found—a diversity and multiplicity of nomenclature which led Alphonse Pyramus de Candolle to infer a very ancient cultivation of the tree from the shores of the Caspian to those of the Atlantic.

The pear was also cultivated by the Romans, who ate the fruits raw or cooked, just like apples. Pliny's Natural History recommended stewing them with honey and noted three dozen varieties. A certain race of pears, with white down on the undersurface of their leaves, is supposed to have originated from P. nivalis, and their fruit is chiefly used in France in the manufacture of perry Other small-fruited pears, distinguished by their early ripening and apple-like fruit, may be referred to as P. cordata, a species found wild in western France and southwestern England. 

Pears have been cultivated in China for approximately 3000 years. The genus is thought to have originated in present-day Western China in the foothills of the Tian Shan, a mountain range of Central Asia, and to have spread to the north and south along mountain chains, evolving into a diverse group of over 20 widely recognized primary species. The enormous number of varieties of the cultivated European pear (Pyrus communis subsp. communis), are without doubt derived from one or two wild subspecies (P. communis subsp. pyraster and P. communis subsp. caucasica), widely distributed throughout Europe, and sometimes forming part of the natural vegetation of the forests. 

Court accounts of Henry III of England record pears shipped from La Rochelle-Normande and presented to the King by the Sheriffs of the City of London. The French names of pears grown in English medieval gardens suggest that their reputation, at the least, was French; a favored variety in the accounts was named for Saint Rule or Regul', Bishop of Senlis.

Pears were much beloved by the ancients. Homer called pears a “gift of the gods.” Roman horticulturists used grafting techniques to develop more than 50 different pear cultivars. Hardy varieties of pears spread throughout Europe and Britain as Roman conquerors carried pear seeds on their quests. In the meantime, Asian orchardists were busy developing tame pears of their own.

Pears were soon established throughout Europe and Britain not just for out-of-hand eating, but also for pressing and for fermenting the pear-based alcoholic beverage called perry. Because “winter pears” stay good in storage for many months, pears were also preserved in wintertime table fare and grown for livestock feed, first in the Old World and then in the New.

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