Asian Pears
Asian pears, as the name suggests, are native to countries in Asia. First discovered over 2,000 years ago in China, more than 3,000 cultivars are currently grown. Asian Pears were introduced to the United States 200 years ago as ornamentals and later used to hybridize with European pears to breed resistance to fire blight. It was only in the 1980s that Asian pears began to appear in farmers markets around the country. The fruit, however, is very delicate and needs to be hand-tended, which prevents them from reaching the commercial volumes of other pears.
Asian pears look more like apples, but they are true pears. They can have considerable variation in skin: most of the ones we get have a smooth skin, and even though they are usually a sandy-brown color, they can come in various shades of yellow, green, and red.
Asian pears are ready to eat as soon as we get them from the farm—they are picked when they’re ripe. Asian pears are always firm, even when ripe, unlike other types of pears which become softer as time goes by. If you are not going to get to them quickly, keep Asian pears in the refrigerator because they will continue to ripen after picking.
The health benefits of Asian pears are many: they are rich in Fiber (one single pear provides around 20 percent of your daily intake), Potassium, Copper, and Vitamins K and C. They are also used in traditional Chinese medicine as a cure for coughs and bronchial ailments (Asian Pear and honey cough remedy here).
(Text adapted from Uncommon Fruit, Food52, Grace Communication Foundation, Wikipedia)
Recipes
Asian pears have a high-water content and a crisp, grainy texture—very different from the European varieties—and are therefore not generally baked in pies or made into jams. However, because they retain their crunchy texture when cooked, they are great when used in savory dishes and eaten fresh.
Asian Pear and Gouda Grilled Cheese
Poached Asian Pears with Star Anise and Tropical Fruit