arsEau d'vie, expensive variety which may come in a bottle (thank you, Ouroboros)Glou Morceau, 18th Century French pearJargonelle, French pear from 1600 for dessert or cooking with a distinctive aroma used in the British 'pear drops' (flavor from Amyl acetate)Josephine de Malines, a uniquely pink-fleshed, 19th century pear of Belgian originKaiser, a loathsome, offensive pear, fit for the gutter's mouth, not yoursLouise Bonne De Jersey, a "painted, varnished huethe red must be shining red, and the greener portion must be turning yellow" (Brooke)Olivier de Serres, Southern European pear for dessertPasse crasanne, late winter pear for cooking found in Southern EuropeSeckle, American pear with an unusual, pleasantly spicy flavor, though having a granular texture (1765)WardensWilliams, a pleasantly musky flavor (esp. the Poire Williams variety)Winter Nelis, excellent spicy flavor, though it ripens a bit fast.
The pear contains high levels of dietary fiber (3.98 grams in the average pear), with insoluble cellulose in the skin; lignin in the tiny gritty particles in the fruit flesh; and soluble pectins. Vitamin C (6.64 mg: 11% of RDA) and sugar content is medium to medium-high, concentrated in the skin. The most fundamental nutrient found in pears is potassium (207.5 mg; similar to one-half cup orange juice).
Purchase and Storage
Look for firm, ripe pears with bright and luminous skin. Pectin enzymes cause most fruits and vegetables to soften after they are picked because the enzyme diminishes cell walls. Tree-ripened pears sometimes taste and feel mushy; the most tasty pear has been picked a short time before maturation and is allowed to ripen as it travels.
Davidson, Alan. The Oxford Companion To Food. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.
Jackson, Ian. "Fragments of the History of the Pear" Petits Propos Culinaries (English), 1995.