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fruit · The Trophy Room

Asian Pear

scientificPyrus pyrifolia
foundorchards and markets · East Asia
seasonlate summer into fall

Half apple, half pear, all crunch. The Asian pear (or nashi) is round and golden like an apple but eats like the crispest, juiciest pear you've ever had — so much water it nearly drips. A refreshing, sandy-textured fruit that keeps for months.

Identifying

  • round like an apple, russeted golden-brown to pale yellow skin flecked with pale dots
  • very crisp, granular, extremely juicy white flesh — never soft like a European pear
  • mild, clean sweetness with low acidity
  • often sold cradled in foam netting because it bruises easily

Facts

  • also called nashi, apple pear, or sand pear — the grainy "sand" texture is characteristic
  • stays crunchy even when fully ripe, unlike the buttery pears of the West
  • keeps for weeks to months in cool storage, which made it a prized fall keeper

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Asian Pear