Posts Tagged ‘Asian pear’

Asian Pears: A Sweet Treat!

Introduction:

When some people hear about the raw food lifestyle they automatically think that they will be limited in what the can eat. What? A diet of mostly fruits and veggies? Where’s the variety in that? But really, embarking upon the raw food journey allows for a deeper appreciation of fruits and veggies as well as the opportunity to explore and try new things you wouldn’t have thought of before. With that in mind, we present you with the Asian pear.

During the weekly field trip to Wholefoods we stumbled upon the Asian Pear. Before going raw, this fruit, along with other unique and rare finds in the produce section, is something you might have passed by or overlooked. So, we encourage you to let curiosity take its natural course and give this fruit a try.

Okay, is it a Pear or an Apple?

Doesn’t it look like an apple? It’s round for goodness sake! But alas, this is a real pear. In fact, Asian pears are the oldest known cultivated pear. Other names for Asian Pear include Nashi Pear, Sand Pear, Korean Pear and Taiwan Pear.

So I See Them in the Produce Section. Now What?

Well, we suggest you pick one up and smell it! (SAY WHAT?)Don’t be shy, we’re serious, give it a whiff. Asian pears are selected by smell rather than variations of firmness. In fact, unlike pears that yield to gentle pressure when ripe, Asian pears are ripe even when they are extremely firm. When you are sniffing this pear, take note of their sweet aroma, that’s the key indicator that they are ripe. Also avoid pears that are soft, wrinkled, have scuffs or are bruised.

Okay, They Smell Sweet. But How Do They Taste?

These pears are crisp and juicy, with a mellow sweet taste that bears a lot of similarities to a hard fruit candy. The skin of Asian pears are yellow in color, sometimes with a light green or brown hue, and covered with light spots. After purchasing, they can be kept for up to a week at room temperature and refrigerated for up to 3 months (whoah! don’t loose this one in the back of the fridge).

These pears would definitely be good in a fruit smoothie, a green smoothie, or a salad. Swap out the pear or apple in any recipe and give this fruit a try instead, or simply slice it up and eat it on the go for a super sweet treat.

The Nutritional Breakdown (daily values based on 2,000 calorie diet):

• One Asian pear is 122 grams
• 6 grams of dietary fiber (which is 4% of your daily value)
• 8.6 grams of sugar (18% of your daily value — we told you it was sweet!)
• .6 grams of protein
• 8% of your daily value of Vitamin C
• 2% of your daily value of Iron