Asian Pear

The History of the Asian Pear

The Asian Pear, or pyrus pyrifolia, sometimes called the Japanese pear, originated in eastern Asia, symbolizing nobility and wealth. It is one of the world’s oldest cultivated fruits, developed thousands of years ago from rosehips. Asian Pears, in fact, are the granddaddies of all pears, and all modern pears are descendants of the Asian Pear.

Since the fruit stores quite well, the Asian Pear traveled from Asia to Europe aboard ships during the Renaissance. Once it arrived in Europe, the pear was carefully cultivated. Over time, pear farmers developed the fruit further through cross-pollination and grafting, creating different variations. Eventually, the traditional bosc pear shape started appearing in markets.

The bosc pear has a swollen, upside-down teardrop shape that most people expect to see these days. An Asian Pear is not only rounder than the European teardop varieties to which we are accustomed, it is also much older and boasts a deeper, sweeter flavor profile.

Although the Subarashii Kudamono Asian Pear is grown in Pennsylvania, pears are not native to the United States. The first pear tree in the US was planted around 1620, soon after the Mayflower Pilgrims founded Plymouth Colony. During the Gold Rush of the 1850s, immigrants from China and Japan brought Asian pears to the west coast of the United States.

The Qualities of the Asian Pear -- Appearance and Nutrition

In contrast to the typical bottom-heavy pear, Asian Pears are round, with skins ranging from pale bronze to greenish-yellow. They have a gently rough texture and distinguishing, evenly-distributed speckles. Slice open a Subarashii Kudamono Asian Pear from a gift box, and you will see that the flesh is white, crunchy, and juicy, with small dark seeds at the center.

Though some companies promote the Asian Pears as “apple pears”, they are not, nor are they related to apples. The use of the phrase “apple pears” is merely a way of getting customers’ children to try the unusual fruit.

Traditionally, Asian Pears are peeled, but for our Subarashii Kudamono Asian Pear varieties, the nutrition in the pear skins are a tasty way to enjoy the benefit of vitamins and minerals. Asian Pears are also full of Lutein (good for eye health) and high in fiber.

According to WebMD, the nutrients in the Asian fruit can help with health issues like heart health, blood sugar control, prenatal health, and can even lower the risk of some types of cancer. (WebMD Health benefit of Asian Pears)

Asian Pears contain copper, which helps your body absorb iron and form blood cells. Copper also supports your immune system and is an important part of nerve cells. Copper is also a building block of collagen, which helps strengthen your bones and cushion your joints.

One Asian Pear fruit contains 51 calories, 1 gram of protein, <1 gram of fat, 13 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of fiber, and 9 grams of sugar.

Growing the Asian Gourmet Pear

After planting seedlings and nurturing young Asian Pear trees, biodegradable bands are used to pull the tender branches from a young tree away from its trunk. This trains the branches to grow sideways instead of upwards, which is their natural tendency.

An Asian Pear team member slides the rubber band onto a slim, young, green branch and then carefully pulls the branch sideways and hooks the other end of the rubber band to either a mature tree trunk or limb.

Training the branches to grow sideways allows more sunshine to kiss the pears, which makes for a sweeter Subarashii Kudamono Asian Pear. It also organizes the branches into a trellis style format, creating a well-balanced and healthy tree that will support many delicious Asian Gourmet Pears in the seasons ahead.

Additionally, strips of red and silver Mylar are tied into each Asian Pear tree in the late summer to make the orchard look as if it is on fire. This practice of growing gourmet pears is not a trick of the eyes or a clever marketing ploy. This is actually a tactic to deter birds from harming the ripening fruit.

Picking the Asian Pear

Select Asian Pear varieties are ready for picking in late August, and others are finally ready by late September through October or early November.

The full harvest season runs from August until late December with most of the work done by hand. Each Asian Pear is weighed, evaluated, and graded before it is individually curated for hand-packaging in your gift box.

Certain varieties of Asian Pears only have a picking window of one week, while others require that the tree is picked multiple times throughout the entire Fall season. Each Asian Pear is ‘tree-ripened” so the timing of picking is well-calculated. After picking, they go straight to the gift box.

Subarashii Kudamono Asian Gourmet Pears store well, sometimes even for several months as they are kept around 36 and 38 degrees Fahrenheit. In your home refrigerator, they will remain fresh for at least a month or more.

Because Subarashii Kudamono Asian Pears are tree-ripened to capture that delicate texture and unique flavor, they are ready to eat upon arrival at your home or office.

Asian Pear Varieties

Worldwide, there are many varieties of the Asian Gourmet Pear. At Subarashii Kudamono, we have cultivated our 7 favorite patented varieties:

• AsaJu

  

  suggestive of a light and crisp un-oaked Chardonnay, with notes of honeydew melon and plum

• JunoSan

  

  complex flavors ranging from Bartlett pears, Honeycrisp apples to Mandarin oranges, especially with the skin off

• New Pear

  

  mellow tastes of golden raisin with a slight tang of citrus

• EliSan

  

  firm, crisp texture bursting with the flavors of kiwi and green apple

• AnaSan

  

  tremendously juicy with honey-like sweetness

• LilySan

  

  luscious floral scent with a supple texture making it perfect for baking

• SuSan

  

  flavors of Port wine or Mead, a honey-ed taste, combined with citrus and lingonberry

The Asian Pear, Curated

The Subarashii Kudamono Asian Gourmet Pear, as each Japanese pear is picked at its tree-ripened perfection – capturing the best flavors and juiciness – is also carefully hand-picked because of its beauty. In the true Japanese tradition only the most beautiful and flawless-looking fruits are shared. Smooth skin, blemish free – each Asian fruit is like gazing upon a finely cultured pearl when your gift box is opened.

Some think of the Subarashii Kudamono Asian Pear as the “Faberge eggs” of the fruit world. For this reason, they are a wonderful holiday gift as well as an excellent corporate gift.

The Joy of the Asian Pear

A ripe pear when ready for your enjoyment should be firm to the touch, deep golden brown, or yellow, or khaki green. The texture and flavor of the Asian Pear is perfect when picked. Unlike the European pear, which is best eaten when it begins to soften, Asian Pears are enjoyed while they are still firm. They have a crunch like an apple but are much juicier and can last one to two months in the refrigerator. Dried pears, without any additives, will last up to one year, full of delicious pear nutrition.

The pyrus pyrifolia bruises easily, which is why we at Subarashii Kudamono handle them so carefully, gently wrap each one, and nestle our Asian pears in thick foam before shipping in a gift box.

When you receive your order of Subarashii Kudamono Asian Pears, unwrap and store them in your refrigerator's crisper drawer. They will stay crisp and juicy for a month or more.

Our Asian Pears are picked ripe and are ready for your enjoyment. Wash your Japanese pears when ready to eat. Washing in advance can expose the pears to additional moisture and affect how long they will keep in your refrigerator.

Here are a few ways to add Asian pears to your meals: add Asian pears to fruit salad; eat one raw as a snack; bake them into chips; include Asian pears in tarts or pies; blend them into a smoothie. The Japanese pear “pairs well” with salty blue cheese or duck, and can be poached in Riesling or port wine for dessert. Check out our Asian Pear recipe section for some delicious ideas.