Last October I read a report about a kind of Asian pear that I'd never heard of--and then this last weekend I found it in the 99 Ranch Market in nearby Milpitas. It's different, delicious, and worth trying.
All European pears are varieties of the species Pyrus communis. Asian pears are varieties of one or two different species that have variously been called Pyrus pyrifolia, Pyrus ussuriensis, and now usually Pyrus serotina. Most of the Asian varieties grown in North America were developed in Japan, have crisp, juicy, off-white flesh, a round, apple-like shape, often a russet skin, and a distinctive aroma that to me seems both flowery and slightly alcoholic. Alcohol (ethanol) is in fact one of their characteristic chemical components. The flavor is refreshing and heady at the same time.
The Kuerle variety of Asian pear comes from China, mainly from the northwest near Xinjiang. According to scientists from Shihezi University in that city and colleagues at the China Agricultural University in Beijing, the Kuerle pear was developed more than a thousand years ago, and has been valued for its "super white" flesh, elongated shape, jade green skin, and special fragrance. Substantial quantities are now exported. The fruits are harvested when they've matured enough to contain about 12% sugars and organic acids in their cell fluids. By refractometer, my samples were indeed around 13%. They are small as pears go, around 3 inches /7.5 cm long, light green with a waxy feel to the skin, familiarly crisp and juicy like a Shinsui or 20th Century.
But the delicate aroma is different. My first bite reminded me immediately of bubble gum! Vintage 1960; I haven't had bubble gum in a while. Not nearly as heady and volatile as the usual Asian pear varieties, with a light, candy-like fruitiness that probably wouldn't work too easily with other ingredients, but that's charming on its own. The food scientists analyzed the Kuerle aroma and found several components that it has in common with European pears, including the characteristic European "pear ester" (an ethyl decadienoate, or a combination of an alcohol molecule with a ten-carbon fragment of a fatty acid). But to me the Kuerle was nothing like a Bartlett or Comice or Bosc. It's a distinctive addition to the flavors of autumn, if you can find it.
Chen, J.L. et al., Changes in the volatile compounds and chemical and physical properties of Kuerle fragrant pear during storage. J. Agric. Food Chem. 2006, 54, 8842-47.
The Kuerle variety of Asian pear comes from China, mainly from the northwest near Xinjiang. According to scientists from Shihezi University in that city and colleagues at the China Agricultural University in Beijing, the Kuerle pear was developed more than a thousand years ago, and has been valued for its "super white" flesh, elongated shape, jade green skin, and special fragrance. Substantial quantities are now exported. The fruits are harvested when they've matured enough to contain about 12% sugars and organic acids in their cell fluids. By refractometer, my samples were indeed around 13%. They are small as pears go, around 3 inches /7.5 cm long, light green with a waxy feel to the skin, familiarly crisp and juicy like a Shinsui or 20th Century.
But the delicate aroma is different. My first bite reminded me immediately of bubble gum! Vintage 1960; I haven't had bubble gum in a while. Not nearly as heady and volatile as the usual Asian pear varieties, with a light, candy-like fruitiness that probably wouldn't work too easily with other ingredients, but that's charming on its own. The food scientists analyzed the Kuerle aroma and found several components that it has in common with European pears, including the characteristic European "pear ester" (an ethyl decadienoate, or a combination of an alcohol molecule with a ten-carbon fragment of a fatty acid). But to me the Kuerle was nothing like a Bartlett or Comice or Bosc. It's a distinctive addition to the flavors of autumn, if you can find it.
Chen, J.L. et al., Changes in the volatile compounds and chemical and physical properties of Kuerle fragrant pear during storage. J. Agric. Food Chem. 2006, 54, 8842-47.
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