Varieties

Five common pear varieties arranged together showing differences in shape, size, and skin color.

Showing multiple varieties side by side in one scene teaches readers to recognize the fruit's range — from the classic Bartlett's yellow-green to Bosc's russet-brown elongated neck to d'Anjou's short squat form.

Produce

Pear

Sweet, mellow fruit for snacking, poaching, and salads

Honeyed and floral when ripe, pears poach in wine, slice into salads with blue cheese, and are lovely out of hand. Ripen them at room temperature, then refrigerate.

The pear is a study in patience — honeyed, floral, and almost buttery when perfectly ripe, but sold rock-hard because it ripens best off the tree. Catch it at the right moment and it's lush enough to eat over the sink; cooked, it poaches in wine, roasts to caramelized sweetness, and slices into salads against sharp blue cheese and walnuts. The whole skill is timing the ripeness, which a pear conveniently signals at the neck.

Measured in: piece
Storage: Refrigerate
Shelf life: 14 days

Find it in

Produce

Types & varieties

Bartlett (Williams)

Classic, juicy, very sweet; turns from green to yellow when ripe

Bosc

Russeted bronze skin, firm dense flesh; the best for poaching and roasting

Anjou

Mild, sweet, holds shape; good raw and cooked (stays green or red)

Comice

Exceptionally sweet, soft, buttery; a dessert pear

Asian (nashi) pear

Round, crisp, apple-like; eaten firm

How to ripen (check the neck)

Most pears are picked unripe and ripen best after harvest, at room temperature. The reliable ripeness test is the neck, not the body: press gently near the stem — when it yields slightly to thumb pressure, the pear is ripe and juicy throughout. Waiting for the body to soften means a mealy, overripe center. Pears ripen from the inside out.

Ripens off the tree at room temperature
Press the neck near the stem to test
Soft body = already overripe inside

How to store

Keep firm pears at room temperature to ripen, speeding it in a paper bag with an apple or banana. Once they give at the neck, refrigerate to hold them a few more days. Cold storage before ripening keeps unripe pears dormant for weeks, then you bring them out to finish at room temperature.

How to cook

Choose firmer varieties (Bosc, Anjou) for cooking, since they hold their shape — softer dessert pears (Comice, ripe Bartlett) collapse. Poach in spiced wine or syrup, roast with honey and butter, or sauté for tarts and pancakes. Slightly underripe pears actually work better for poaching. A squeeze of lemon keeps cut pears from browning.

Common uses

Poached pears in red winePear and blue cheese saladPear tart (tarte aux poires)Roasted with honeyPear and almond frangipaneCheese boardsChutneyPear crumble

Tips & pitfalls

Test ripeness at the neck, not the belly — press near the stem
Ripen in a paper bag with an apple to speed it up
Use firm Bosc or Anjou for poaching and roasting so they hold shape
Lemon juice stops cut pears browning
Pair sweet ripe pears with salty blue cheese and toasted nuts

Nutrition

57kcal

Energy

238 kJ · per 100 g

Where the calories come from

Protein 2%Carbs 96%Fat 2%

Protein

0.4g

1% DV

Carbs

15.2g

6% DV

Fat

0.1g

0% DV

Fiber

3.1g

11% DV

Sugars

9.8g

of which

Sodium

1mg

0% DV

Notable micronutrients

Vitamin C5% DV

Vitamin K4% DV

Riboflavin (B2)2% DV

Vitamin B62% DV

Folate2% DV

Magnesium2% DV

Source · USDA FoodData Central · Pears, raw

View on FDC →

In the shops

Matched grocery products

Ercolina Pear
80 g · Mercadona
€0.31
Conference Pear
180 g · Mercadona
€0.44
Conference Pears
1.11 kg · Mercadona
€2.39
Ercolina Pear 1 unit
ud · Bonpreu
€0.36
Conference Pear Km0 1 unit
Bonpreu
€0.45
Conference Pear Km0 1 unit
ud · Bonpreu
€0.52

Good to know

Peak season: Late summer through winter (variety-dependent)
Flavor: Sweet, floral, honeyed; soft and buttery when ripe
Origin: Europe and Asia; cultivated for thousands of years
Nutrition: ~57 kcal/100g; fiber, vitamin C; eat the skin
How to buy: Firm and unblemished; ripens off the tree — check the neck for give

Substitutes