Monday, February 9, 2009

PEARS!!!

Today I was biting into a nice big juicy asian pear and realized that I haven't really let you in on one of my favorite fruits that is Asia specific: Asian Pears.

The nashi pear is sometimes called the Asian pear. It has been also called the Korean pear and bae, from the Korean 배. Nashi pears are widely grown for their sweet fruit, a popular food in East Asia. They are sweet on the tree and are eaten crisp or else bletted.

Nashi pears generally are not baked in pies or made into jams because they have a high water content and a crisp, grainy texture, very different from the buttery European varieties. It is not a cross between apples and pears, as common names like apple pear may suggest, but its shape and crisp texture are reminiscent of apples. They are commonly served raw and peeled.

In Korea, they are grown and consumed in great quantity. Many are exported to the U.S. and sold as gifts, touting the superior quality of pears grown on the peninsula versus those grown in Southern California. Imported pears tend to be quite large and very fragrant, and are carefully wrapped, allowing them to last several weeks or more in a cold, dry place.

Because of their relatively high price and the large size of the fruit of cultivars, the pears tend to be served to guests or given as gifts, or eaten together in a family setting.In cooking, ground pears are used in vinegar or soy sauce-based sauces as a sweetener, instead of sugar. They are also used when marinating meat, especially beef. (again, thanks wikipedia)

SO that is a little bit about the pear. If you are like me you will notice the large size, different shape and juiciness. These are pictures of my pear and the second one shows my hand beside my pear so you can see how large it is!

No comments: