Nashi pears (Pyrus pyrifolia and P. ussuriensis) are juicy round pears, shaped like apples. Because of the resemblance, some people call them “apple pears.” They originated in East Asia where they are a popular fruit, eaten as a thirst quencher. Nash, is a generic word for pears and European pears are called Yonashi. The fruit are harvested in fall and nashi may be used as an autumn kigo (or season word) in writing haiku.
Once reserved as a food to be served only to the wealthy and to Chinese nobles, Nashi pears have been grown, cultivated, and eaten for centuries. Little is known about their origin… it’s estimated that they began appearing at least 3,000 years ago in China.
Some varieties spread westward, and those ended up looking and tasting more like the pears with which most people are familiar. The varieties that spread eastward, however, took on more of an apple-like shape and a crisper quality, and those became the Nashi pears we know today.
They were first introduced to Americans on the West Coast by Chinese migrant workers during the 1850s. Even today, this region – California and Oregon, in particular - remains the largest Nashi pear producing region of our country. At first, trees were grown from seeds found in the fruit, and their quality was widely varied. It wasn’t until the early 1900s, when pomologists began mastering crossing techniques, that reliable, high-quality Asian pears were grown in the U.S. In the 1980s, there was a sudden increase in demand for Asian pears brought on by the increasing population of immigrant Americans in the U.S. and Canada.
Nashi pears are a great source of dietary fiber, and they’re also very high in potassium and other essential minerals. They contain nearly 10% of the USRDA for Vitamin C, and a high concentration of folates, which make up the Vitamin B complex group.
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