The benefits of pear
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What pears do
What this vegetable does
It is held to clear heat while it moistens dryness, and to settle the Lung and the throat.
How to eat it
Eat it as it is, or enjoy it as juice or a dessert.
A yakuzen note
It is said to generate body fluids and to help ease the discomfort that comes with dryness.
Pear is held to clear heat while it moistens dryness. It works in particular to ease dryness of the Lung and throat, and is looked to for coughs, a sore throat and a hoarse voice. Taken as juice or as a dessert, it becomes an ingredient well suited to the dry season.
TOC
When pears are in season, their types, and how to choose them
If you want to enjoy what pear does, it helps to know its season, its types and how to choose it. It is the fruit that colours late summer and autumn, loved for its crisp bite and its overflowing juice.
In season from late summer to autumn, Japanese pears and European pears
Pears are in season from around August to October, appearing from the end of summer into autumn. Broadly they divide into Japanese pears, with their crisp texture, and European pears, which ripen off the tree into something soft and melting. Japanese pears come as the brown-skinned red pears, such as Kosui and Hosui, and the greenish blue pears, such as Nijisseiki, and the Nijisseiki pear that represents the blue pears is known as a speciality of Tottori. Among European pears, La France is the famous one, fragrant and smooth in the mouth. Since the growing areas and varieties come in slightly staggered, the season runs long through the autumn.
Kosui, Hosui, Nijisseiki and the other varieties
Pears come in varieties that differ in texture and sweetness, and you can choose by taste and by season.
| Variety | What stands out |
|---|---|
| Kosui | A red pear, strongly sweet and full of juice. An early and popular variety |
| Hosui | A red pear, with a good balance of sweetness and gentle acidity |
| Nijisseiki | A blue pear, juicy, with a fresh sweet-sour note |
Kosui if you want sweetness in full, Hosui to enjoy the balance of sweet and sour, Nijisseiki if you like a clean finish: you can choose by variety. There are late-autumn varieties too, such as the large, firm Niitaka, and La France, ripened off the tree for its scent. The juicy Nijisseiki pear keeps the flavour of the fruit even when dried, which has made it a familiar dried fruit as well.
How to choose them, and when they are ready
When picking out good pears, these are the things to look for.
- An even skin colour, firm, and with a sense of weight in the hand
- A round, solid base, with a firm stem
- A European pear is ready when it softens around the stem and the scent rises
Japanese pears do not ripen off the tree, so eat them as soon as you can after buying. European pears, on the other hand, should be left at room temperature to ripen while they are firm, and chilled only once they are soft and fragrant, which brings out what they have. Remember that how you judge ripeness changes with the type and you will not miss the moment.
How to eat pears
The juicy sweetness of a pear carries it well beyond eating as it is, into cooking and drinks. Here are the usual ways.
As it is, in salads, and grated
A pear peeled, chilled and eaten as it is is the best of all. Play to the crisp texture and add thin slices to a salad and the sweetness and juice work as a note of their own. It goes well with prosciutto and cheese too. Grated pear used to season grilled meat or a stew tenderises the meat and lends a natural sweetness. It is a common use in Korean marinades as well.
Steamed, as a compote, and as juice
A pear halved, cored and steamed with rock sugar, honey and ginger has long been a familiar and gentle way to eat it. Made into a compote with sugar and lemon it becomes a refined dessert, and the liquid can be set into a jelly. Grated into juice, or frozen into a sorbet, it goes down easily. Cooking draws out a different, rounder kind of sweetness.
How to keep pears
Pears do badly in dry air, so put them in a plastic bag, close it loosely, and keep them stem down in the vegetable drawer of the fridge. Japanese pears do not ripen off the tree and lose texture the longer they sit, so eat them soon. European pears should be ripened at room temperature while firm and moved to the fridge once they are ready. If you have a lot, peel and core them, cut them into bite-sized pieces and freeze them, and half-thawed they eat like a sorbet.
Alongside this, one likewise held to moisten the Lung, The benefits of white wood ear or The benefits of persimmon as a guide for daily care against autumn dryness.
In season from late summer into autumn, pear is a fruit that carries the season, eaten as it is of course, and in salads, grated, steamed and as a compote. Strongly sweet Kosui, clean-finishing Nijisseiki and fragrant, off-the-tree-ripened European pears: choose by variety and each shows its best. For daily care in the season when dryness is on your mind, bring pears in season to the table.
Dried pear makes a good snack too
Dried pear keeps well and is there whenever you want a piece. If you would like a little every day, do try dried pear.
