Pears have been around for a long time. There is some belief that it was during the neolithic period, the late stone age, that pears first came into Western Europe from somewhere in Central Asia. Both the Greeks and the Romans partook in the enjoyment of eating pears. In France in 1530, one Charles Estienne described only sixteen varieties of pears, whereas it is known that more than 60 existed in the middle of the 5th century. La Cuisine et la Table modernes, published by Librarie Larousse in the early part of the 20th century, described 41 varieties and illustrated nine. (Click image on right to enlarge.) Today there is may be more than 2000 varieties worldwide, although only a few show up in our local markets. Over time, pear varieties have gone through many transitions.

Pears come in a multiplicity of shapes although they all somewhat fit into a form that we recognize as pear-shaped. Some have a classic “pear” shape, while others are squat, like a quince, or have a narrow structure. Whatever the overall shape of a pear, each will seem at least a little different from the next. There’s no uniformity when it comes to pears, even within a single variety, but that only makes them more interesting in appearance. The skin varies from a yellowish pale green, to light green, to red, and to brown. Some pears have a very strong flavor that we identify as a pear flavor, while others possess a very subtile, elusive flavor. Some are quite sweet and others are a bit acidic. Some have a hard, coarse texture, similar to an apple, while others are soft and velvety when ripe.

The pears that appear in your market may not be the same as those that I can buy at mine. The difference may only be in name—in France the William pear is the same as the Bartlett pear sold in America—or your local variety may be unique.

France produces about a quarter million tons of pears a year, making it the third largest producer in Europe, after Italy and Spain. One French trade organization lists nine varieties of pears as the major ones produced in the country.

At any one time, there will probably be only a couple of varieties of pears available to you at your local market. Which type do you choose? I’ve found that the best way to choose is by personal preference—buy the ones you like. One season I may use a comice pear for a particular recipe and the next a different variety. There is a slight difference as to how long one variety takes to cook versus another, but the difference is usually minor and more related to ripeness than to the type of pear. Occasionally there is an exception to this rule, but this is rare.

So how do you judge when a pear is ripe? The method I use is to push gently on the flesh near the stem. If there is a little give, then the pear is ripe. Pears tend to ripen from the center out. If it feels soft in other places, it is probably past its prime. If you are stuck with buying pears that are not ripe, leave them at room temperature to ripen. If they are already ripe, store the pears in the refrigerator to retard their spoilage. For eating out-of-hand, let the pear come to room temperature to develop its full flavor before eating. Whether being stored at room temperature or in the refrigerator, pears should be stored loose with a bit of airspace between them, not just piled into a bowl. They really do not like to be in contact with other pears. And don’t store them in a plastic bag. The carbon dioxide that pears release is trapped in the bag, causing the pears to spoil faster.

What about appearance? We’d all like to be able to buy perfect pears, but often a truly unblemished pear is impossible to find. Many of the marks on the skin are truly just skin deep. If the pear is to be peeled before cooking or eating, then the appearance of the skin is unimportant, at least for the skin deep imperfections. A pear with cuts or holes that goes through the skin, especially if they are deep, should be avoided.

Most French recipes that call for pears involve at least some minimal preparation of the fruit. This may include peeling, halving, coring, slicing, and dicing. If the pear will need to be halved as part of its preparation, I find that it is best to peel the pear after it is halved and cored. It’s a snap to core a halved pear with a melon baller. I use a larger baller to scoop out the part of the core with the seeds as one hemispherical plug. I then use a smaller baller to gouge out the long fibrous portions of the core. In each case, I work from the end to the center.

Sometimes only the minimal preparation of coring just a little bit of the flower end of the pear is required. To do so, hold an unpeeled pear in one hand and a small melon baller in the other. Use the baller in a rotary fashion to just remove a small area of skin and flesh around the point where the tiny remains of the blossom are still attached. If the recipe calls for the whole core to be removed, an apple corer is a convenient tool to use. The difference between coring a pear and an apple is that you usually don’t core the pear all the way through. The corer is used to cut a cylindrical path almost to the stem, but because the core is blind it will be necessary dig out the remaining core “plug” with a small melon baller. The diameter of the apple corer is often smaller than the portion of the pear where the seeds are located. It is easy to look into the hole in the pear and remove any remaining seeds with the baller after the “plug” is removed.

Unlike many other recipes, pear recipes usually provide detailed instructions as to how the pears should be prepared. Hopefully, you’ll find the recipes included with this article to be no exception.