Pear
Picked before it’s ripe, it finishes ripening at room temperature.
- Season: August, September, October, November, December, January
- Peak season: September, October
- Botanical family: Rosaceae
History
Native to Asia and the Caucasus, the pear was already enjoyed by the Greeks and Romans. Louis XIV adored it: his gardener Jean-Baptiste de La Quintinie grew hundreds of varieties in the King’s Kitchen Garden at Versailles. Many of today’s varieties were bred in France and Belgium in the 19th century.
Origin and growing regions
French pears are grown mainly in the south-east and west:
- Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (Savoie)
- Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur
- Loire Valley
Savoie pears have a PGI.
Benefits
The pear is sweet, melting and thirst-quenching:
- Fibre: One of the richest fruits in fibre.
- Moderate energy: About 50 kcal per 100 g.
- Potassium: Helps fluid balance.
- Hydrating: About 84 % water.
Varieties
- Williams: Very juicy and fragrant, late summer.
- Conference: Elongated, rough skin, keeps well.
- Comice: Round and melting, the finest.
- Beurré Hardy: Bronze skin, buttery flesh.
- Passe-Crassane: Winter pear, keeps until spring.
Zero waste
- Storing: At room temperature to ripen, then in the fridge: 3 to 5 days.
- Freezing: Poached or as compote: up to 12 months. Raw, it turns brown.
- Nothing goes to waste: Overripe pears make a compote, clafoutis or smoothie. The peelings flavour a syrup.