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Pear, Pear

The Roman cookbook attributed to Apicius, De re coquinaria , has a recipe for a spiced stewed-pear patina , or souffl (IV.2.35).

Court accounts of Henry III of England record pears shipped from Rochelle and presented to the King by the Sheriffs of London. Evelyn Cecil, A History of Gardening in England 2006:35ff The French names of pears grown in English medieval gardens suggests that their reputation, at the least, was French; a favored variety in the accounts was named for Saint Rule or Regul', bishop of Senlis. Cecil 2006.

They are medium sized trees, reaching 1017 m tall, often with a tall, narrow crown; a few species are shrubby. The leaves are alternately arranged, simple, 212 cm long, glossy green on some species, densely silvery-hairy in some others; leaf shape varies from broad oval to narrow lanceolate. Most pears are deciduous, but one or two species in southeast Asia are evergreen. Most are cold-hardy, withstanding temperatures between −25 C and −40 C in winter, except for the evergreen species, which only tolerate temperatures down to about −15 C.The flowers are white, rarely tinted yellow or pink, 24 cm diameter, and have five petals.

Pear trees and apple trees do have several visible differences. The pear and the apple are also related to the quince.

The Siberian Pear, Pyrus ussuriensis (which produces unpalatable fruit) has been crossed with Pyrus communis to breed hardier pear cultivars. The Bradford Pear ( Pyrus calleryana 'Bradford') in particular has become widespread in North America and is used only as an ornamental tree. The Willow-leafed Pear ( Pyrus salicifolia ) is grown for its attractive slender, densely silvery-hairy leaves.

If left to ripen and turn yellow on the tree, the sugars will turn to starch crystals and the pear will have a gritty texture inside. In the case of the 'Passe Crassane', long the favored winter pear in France, the crop should be gathered at three different times, the first a fortnight or more before it is ripe, the second a week or ten days after that, and the third when fully ripe. The first gathering will come into eating latest, and thus the season of the fruit may be considerably prolonged.

The juice can also be used in jellies and jams, usually in combination with other fruits or berries. Fermented pear juice is called perry.

Pears are the least allergenic of all fruits. Because of this, it is sometimes used as the first juice introduced to infants.

Source: Wikipedia > Pear