PEAR
ORIGINS

The cultivation of pears (Pyrus communis L.) dates back to ancient times, with evidence in Asia and Europe of more than 4,000 thousand years of age. The poet, Homer, writes of the orchards of Alcinous and Laertes, while Greek mythology refers to the pear as a wholesome, tastey fruit, the favourite of gods and heroes. From Magna Graecia pear cultivation spread to Rome, where it was widely eaten and was esteemed by many great men: Cato and Pliny perfected growing techniques, while Pompey and Nero were enthusiastic consumers.
After the period of Medieval decline, the crop spread throughout Mexico and California, carried there by Spanish missionaries, while in Europe, especially in Belgium and France, cultivation was resumed from the 1700s onwards.
While forty or so varieties were mentioned in Roman times, today we know of over 5,000, although only a small part of them are profit-making crops.

PEAR CULTIVATION

Although an indigenous fruit of western Asia, where it is still found growing in the wild, today pear trees are most intensively cultivated in China and Europe, especially in Italy, Spain, France and Germany.
In Italy, production is concentrated in the North, with the region of Emilia-Romagna alone suppling more than 50% of the total national output.
Italian pears are available on the market practically all year round, with the summer varieties William, Coscia, Guyot, Santa Maria and Max Red Bartlett, followed by the autumn harvest of varieties like Abate Fetel, Decana del Comizio, Conference, Rosada, Packam's and Kaiser. The winter variety, Passacrassana has undergone considerable decline and today occupies a very marginal position.

PEAR CALENDAR

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
Harvest period                
Market presence


CONSUMPTION AND STORAGE

The pear is much loved among a wide range of consumers because of its taste, fragrance and juiciness. From the nutritional viewpoint it contains a good quantity of simple sugars (rapidly assimilated fructose), as well as pectine, tannin, mineral salts, malic and citric acid and anti-oxidant folic compounds.
Easy to digest, the pear facilitates diuresis, is good for the stomach and is both refreshing and laxative. It is particularly recommended in the diet of youngsters and old people. In cosmetics, packs made from the pulp are used against hardness and dryness of the skin. Pears should be stored at low temperatures, but to enjoy their full fragrance it is advisable to keep them for 4/6 days at room temperature before eating. When a slight pressure on the skin reveals that the pulp is tender, the right moment for consumption has arrived.
As well as being eaten fresh, the pear can be used for juices, syrups, jams, fermented drinks and spirits; in cooking, it is a widely used ingredient in cakes, fruit salads and main courses, and is excellent raw accompanied by strong cheeses.


NUTRITIONAL AND ENERGY INFORMATION FOR
(100 grams of product)

Edible part91%
Water85.2g
Proteins0.3g
Lipids0.4g
Glucides9.5g
Fiber2.8g
Energy41kcal
Sodium2mg
Potassium130mg
Iron0.3mg
Calcium6mg
Phosphorus11mg
Niacin0.1mg
Vitamin C4mg


RECIPE

Chocolate Pears

Ingredients for 4: 100 g cooking chocolate, 2 tablespoons milk, 2 tablespoons sugar, cinnamon powder, lemon peel.

Put the lemon peel and sugar into a saucepan with two glasses of water. Bring to the boil, then add the segments of peeled pears with the pips removed, leaving them for five minutes. Strain them and arrange them in four dessert bowls, sprinkle with cinnamon and then pour over the chocolate sauce obtained by melting the chocolate with the milk in bain marie.

WILLIAM

William pears are available on the market from August through to November.
Today very widespread, the William pear was selected in the English town of Aldermaston at the end of the 18th century. It is a juicy variety with a distinctive aroma; as well as being industrially processed to obtain jams and fruit juices, it is the ideal summer pear for fruit salads, shakes and cocktails.

CALENDAR OF THE WILLIAM VARIETY

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
Harvest period                      
Market presence                


MINIMUM QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS

Appearance
Sound and free of visible extraneous substances.
Even ripeness and colour.

Colour
Skin: yellowish light green with pores.
Pulp: ivory

Shape
Pyriform

Flavor and texture
Fine, soft, sugary pulp.
Characteristic musk aroma

Refraction index
>=13

Sale period
From 15 August to 15 November

Storage
This variety, once ripe, with a light green or yellowish skin, can be stored in the fridge at 10-12 C° for 3-4 days.

Handling
The product is sold when ready to eat, when the fruit is very delicate and extremely sensitive to incorrect handling. Fruit that has been badly handled shows surface bruising and damage of the pulp.

Things to avoid
In view of the sensitivity of this variety, the stacking of products for display should be avoided. Exposure to sudden temperature variations is also not advised. Given the delicate nature of the fruit, a small quantity should be displayed at a time, to avoid over-handling by customers.
CONFERENCE

Suculent and sweet, the Conference pear is highly popular among consumers, who can find it on sales from the beginning of November to lto end of June.

CALENDAR OF THE CONFERENCE VARIETY

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
Harvest period                      
Market presence        


MINIMUM QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS

Appearance
Sound, clean, residue-free, with marked pores.

Colour
Skin: bronzed yellowish-green, tending to russet at the top.
Pulp: ivory

Shape
Tapered and pyriform

Flavor and texture
Soft, juicy, sweet pulp, scented and slightly acidulous

Refraction index
Consumption: >15
Storage: 12-14

Pulp hardness
Storage: 5.5-6.5 Kg (8 mm piston)
Consumption: 4-4.5 Kg (8 mm piston)

Sale period
From 1 November to 30 June

Storage
At a temperature of 8-10 C° Conference pears can be stored for 72 hours or more from the time of arrival in the warehouse. The fruit can be kept in the warehouse for long periods at a temperature of between -0.5 and +0.5 C°.

Handling
Conference pears have a good resistance to handling.
The piling up of fruit on market stalls is not advised, but where unavoidable the pears should be arranged with maximum care.

Things to avoid
Crates should not be turned up-side-down.
Avoid sudden temperature variations. Display fruit a little at a time and avoid over-handling by customers.
KAISER

Easily recognised by its regular shape and even brownish skin, the juicy, crisp Kaiser variety is excellent eaten fresh and used in cooking

CALENDAR OF THE KAISER VARIETY

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
Harvest period                      
Market presence        


MINIMUM QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS

Appearance
Sound, clean, residue-free and uniformly coloured.

Colour
Skin: bronze, tobacco, evenly coloured.
Pulp: whitish and slightly glassy.

Shape
Inverted-cone shape, very slightly oblong towards the top.

Flavor and texture
Even, slightly grainy, juicy pulp, soury-sweet and scented.

Refraction index
Consumption: >13
Storage: 11

Pulp hardness
Storage: 6-7 Kg (8 mm piston)
Consumption: 4.5-5 Kg (8 mm piston)

Sale period
From 20 September to 15 April

Storage
At a temperature of 8-10 C° Kaiser pears can be stored for 72 hours or more from the time of arrival in the warehouse. The fruit can be kept in the warehouse for long periods at a temperature of between -0.5 and +0.5 C°.

Handling
Kaiser pears are quite resistant to handling.
The piling up of fruit on market stalls is not advised, but where unavoidable the pears should be arranged with great care.

Things to avoid
Crates should not be turned up-side-down.
Avoid sudden temperature changes. Display fruit a little at a time and avoid over-handling by customers.
DECANA DEL COMIZIO

The large, round Decana pear was selected at Angers, in France, in the early 19th century. Sweet, tasty, yet compact, this pear is excellent for cooking, especially in the preparation of jams and fruit juices.

CALENDAR OF THE DECANA VARIETY

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
Harvest period                    
Market presence          


MINIMUM QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS

Appearance
Sound, clean and residue-free.
Evenly ripened with marked pores.

Colour
Skin: yellowish green, generally smooth, with occasional veins of pinkish/red hue. In rainy years, the Decana may have a rougher skin.
Pulp: white

Shape
Rounded, long and narrow or inverted-cone shaped

Flavor and texture
A fine, juicy, highly scented, acidy-sweet pulp, with excellent flavour.

Refraction index
Consumption: >15
Storage: 11-12

Pulp hardness
Storage: 5 Kg (8 mm piston)
Consumption: 3-4 Kg/0.5 cm2 (8 mm piston)

Sale period
From 1 October to 31 March

Storage
At a temperature of 8-10 C° the pears can be stored for 72 hours or more from the time of arrival in the warehouse. The fruit can be kept in the warehouse for long periods at a temperature of between -0.5 and +0.5 C°.

Handling
Extremely sensitive to handling, the pears must not be displayed in piles.

Things to avoid
Crates should not be turned up-side-down.
Avoid sudden changes in temperature. Display fruit a little at a time and avoid over-handling by customers.

Note
Compared to other pear varieties, greater care is required in handling the Decana del Comizio as it is extremely vulnerable to bruising caused by bad handling.
ABATE FETEL

The Abate Fetel is one of the most popular varieties sold today and is intensively grown in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, mainly in the provinces of Modena and Ferrara.
The fruit is named after the French monk that selected it during the mid-15th century.
The distinctive characteristics of this pear are its elongated shape, speckled green skin and scented white pulp.

CALENDAR OF THE ABATE FETEL VARIETY

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
Harvest period                    
Market presence          


MINIMUM QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS

Appearance
Sound, clean and residue-free.
Evenly ripened.

Colour
Skin: yellowish light green, tending to russet at the base and top.
Pulp: white

Shape
Enlarging towards the base, with extremely oblong upper part.

Flavor and texture
A juicy, pleasant tasting, slightly rough pulp

Refraction index
Consumption: >14
Storage: 11

Pulp hardness
Storage: 5 Kg (8 mm piston)
Consumption: 3-4 Kg/0.5 cm2 (8 mm piston)

Sale period
From 15 September to 31 March

Storage
At a temperature of 8-10 C° the pears can be stored for 72 hours or more from the time of arrival in the warehouse. The fruit can be kept in the warehouse for long periods at a temperature of between -0.5 and +0.5 C°.

Handling
The fruit is quite resistant to handling.
The piling up of fruit on market stalls is not advised, but where unavoidable the fruit should be arranged with great care.

Things to avoid
Crates should not be turned up-side-down.
Avoid sudden changes in temperature. Display fruit a little at a time and avoid over-handling by customers.
MAX RED BARTLETT

This pear was once a widely cultivated variety and is presently in decline, despite the many appraisers of the excellent quality of its pulp, which is juicy and scented. It's the classical summery pear with a short storage period and sensitive to incorrect handling.

CALENDAR OF THE MAX RED BARTLETT VARIETY

GEN FEB MAR APR MAG GIU LUG AGO SET OTT NOV DIC
Epoca di raccolta                      
Presenza sul mercato              


MINIMUM QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS

Appearance
Sound, clean, residue-free, with uniform ripeness and colour.

Colour
Skin: light-green, evenly coloured, covered with red to brick-red colour.
Pulp: ivory white.

Shape
Pyriform

Flavor and texture
Fine-grained, firm, juicy pulp, sugary and scented.

Refraction index
>=13

Period of sale (Italian produce)
From 15 August to 15 January

Storage
This pear variety, once ripe, with a generally light green or yellowish skin, can be stored in the fridge at 10-12 C° for 3-4 days.

Handling
The product is sold when ready to eat, when the fruit is very delicate and extremely sensitive to incorrect handling.
Fruit that has been badly handled shows surface bruising and damage of the pulp.

Things to avoid
In view of the sensitivity of this variety, the stacking of products for display should be avoided.
Exposure to sudden temperature variations is also not advised.
Due to the delicate nature of the fruit, a small quantity should be displayed at a time in order to avoid over-handling by customers.

GUYOT

The Guyot is a typical summer pear that is juicy and sugary and which is normally consumed from the first ten days of July through the end of August.

THE CALENDAR FOR GUYOT VARIETY

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
Harvest period                      
Market presence                    


MINIMUM QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS

Appearance
Sound and clean.
Homogeneous colouring and ripening.

Colour
Skin: smooth, light-green that turns yellow when ripe. Very spotted.
Pulp: yellowish-white.

Shape
Pyriform.

Flavor and texture
Grainy, juicy and sugary pulp.

Refraction index
>=10

Sale period
From July 10th to August 31st

Storage
This variety, ready for consumption, with light-green or yellow skin, can be conserved in the refrigerator at 10-12°C for 3-4 days.

Handling
These ready-to-eat pears are extremely delicate and may be damaged by incorrect handling.
The skin of the mishandled fruit turns brown and the pulp is softened.

Things to avoid
In view of the sensitivity of this variety, the stacking of products for display should be avoided, as well as rapid changes in temperature.
A small quantity should be displayed at a time in order to avoid over-handling by customers.
PACKAM'S TRIUMPH

Packam's Triumph is a cultivar that is not very widely distributed, despite it shows good qualitative characteristics. This fruit, which has an excellent flavour and an attractive appearance, is sold up to the end of the winter as "Late William" for its considerable resemblance with this cultivar. The Packam's Triumph variety was chosen at the end of the XIX Century by the Australian State of Southern New Wales.

THE CALENDAR FOR PACKAM'S TRIUMPH VARIETY

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
Harvest period                      
Market presence              


MINIMUM QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS

Appearance
Large-sized fruit.
Homogeneous colouring and ripening.

Colour
Skin: yellow-green
Pulp: ivory white

Shape
Pyriform

Flavor and texture
Fine, sweet and juicy pulp

Refraction index
>13

Sale period
From September 10th to January 31st

Storage
This ready-to-eat product can be kept in the refrigerator at 10-12°C for 3-4 days.

Handling
The ready-to-eat product can be damaged by over-handling.

Things to avoid
The stacking of products for display should be avoided.
SANTA MARIA

The Santa Maria pear is a summer variety that is fairly juicy and characterized by a high yield and early fruit bearing. Due to these interesting technical peculiarities, its cultivation is of great interest in Central-Southern Italy.
The Santa Maria pear is sold from mid-July through the end of October.

THE CALENDAR FOR SANTA MARIA VARIETY

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
Harvest period                      
Market presence                


MINIMUM QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS

Appearance
Medium-sized fruit, sound and clean.
Homogeneous colouring and ripening.

Colour
Skin: smooth, green-yellow coloured, with red colour on outside by insolation.
Pulp: white.

Shape
Pyriform.

Flavor and texture
Normally fine and tasty pulp.

Refraction index
>=11

Sale period
From July 15th to October 31st

Storage
This variety, ready for consumption, with yellow-green skin, can be conserved in the refrigerator at 10-12°C for 3-4 days.

Handling
These ready-to-eat pears are fairly delicate and may be damaged by incorrect handling.

Things to avoid
In view of the sensitivity of this variety, the stacking of products for display should be avoided.
A small quantity should be displayed at a time in order to avoid over-handling by customers.
ROSADA

A summer variety, the Rosada pear is noted for its rounded shape and its pinkish-yellow colour. The crunchiness of its pulp favours its fresh consumption. Generally juicy and sugary, the Rosada pear demonstrates an optimal conservation which prolongs its consumption up until early March.

THE CALENDAR FOR ROSADA VARIETY

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
Harvest period                      
Market presence            


MINIMUM QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS

Appearance
Sound, clean, residue and spot-free

Colour
Skin: yellow-coloured, with pink shades on 30-50% of the surface
Pulp: white.

Shape
Medium-large sized, orange-shaped fruit.

Flavor and texture
Firm, fine pulp. Scarcely juicy and averagely acidulously sweet.

Refraction index
Consumption >=13
Storage: 11.5

Pulp hardness
Storage: 6-6.5 Kg (8 m piston)
Consumption: 2.5 Kg (8 m piston)

Sale period
From October 1st to March 10st

Storage
Characterized by an optimal conservation, the Rosada pears are well kept in storage areas for 96 hours and more at a temperature of 8-10°C.
For a long-term conservation, the temperature varies from -0.5 to +0.5 °C.

Handling
The Rosada pears are fairly resistant to handling.
In any case, the fruit should be displayed with maximum care.
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