Pears are bell-shaped fruits, wide and round at the bottom, narrowing toward the stem; however, some varieties are nearly round. Sweet, delicious and rich flavoured pears offer the crunchiness of apples yet juicy as peach and nectarine. Raw pears (with the skin on them) are a good source of vitamin C and dietary fibre. The fruit is a good source of minerals such as copper, iron, potassium, manganese and magnesium as well as B-complex vitamins such as folates, riboflavin and pyridoxine (vitamin B-6).
Did you know?
Pears are among the least allergenic of all the fruits. For the same reason, they are often recommended by health practitioners as a safe alternative in the preparation of food products for allergic persons.
Storing Pears
Like bananas and avocados, pears are usually picked before they are fully ripe because they do not ripen well on the tree. The fruits should be ripened at room temperature until the stem end yields slightly to pressure. Once ripe, pears should be refrigerated.
2002. Encyclopedia of foods. San Diego, Calif.: Academic Press
Nutrition And You.com. 2022. Top 9 Pears Nutrition facts and health benefits. [online]
Available at: <https://www.nutrition-and-you.com/pears.html> [Accessed June 2022].