The apple is seen as being reliable, robust, unassuming and even rather middle-class. In contrast the pear is sensitive, demanding and almost aristocratic. Pears come in more varied shapes and flavours than their tough relative, which can even withstand a light frost.

The majority of pomologists (fruit tree experts) believe that the pear originated in Asia Minor, Eurasia, the Caucasus, Anatolia and the region formerly known as Gaul. Others point to burial gifts from the period around 2100 B.C. in China and pear seeds found in prehistoric settlements in Switzerland. Whatever the truth of the matter is, over the centuries plant breeders have used the cultivated pear (Pyrus communis), a member of the rose family, to develop two types of pear which still exist today: the European and the Asian pear.

The ancient Greeks mention just three varieties of pear, with Homer calling the fruit the “gift of the gods”. The Roman writer Pliny the Elder (who lived from 23 to 79 A.D.) refers to least 38 varieties. By the 17th century there were as many as 300 varieties of pear in France. Now it is estimated that there are around 2500 varieties of pear to be found throughout the world, although only about two dozen play a major economic role.

The main producers are France, Italy, Spain, the Ukraine, Turkey, Argentina, Chile, South Africa, the USA, Japan – and China, which has a 40 percent share of world production. Pears not only taste delicious, they are also nutritionally valuable. They contain large amounts of protein, carbohydrate, dietary fibre, potassium and vitamin B2, but very little fat or fruit acids, which makes them particularly sweet in contrast to, for example, the apple.

Pears are mainly eaten raw, stewed or in cakes and tarts. However, they are an important feature of cuisine all over the world. Their mineral-tasting sweetness is the perfect complement for the sharpness of blue cheese, such as Roquefort, Gorgonzola or mature Stilton. They also go well with the spicy flavour of air-dried or smoked ham. Poached in red wine or port, they make the ideal accompaniment to game dishes.

In 1870, Auguste Escoffier created a dish in memory of the beautiful Helen in Offenbach’s opera “La belle Hélène”, which has since become a classic dessert: Poire Belle Hélène. It consists of peeled pears poached in syrup and served warm with vanilla ice-cream, strewn with candied violets and drizzled in chocolate sauce. Pear brandy is made almost all over the world, using Williams pears; meanwhile, in the west of France the inhabitants make a sparkling perry, similar to cider, from pear juice. Babycham, a sort of pear champagne, is made from perry pears in the English county of Somerset. In northern Germany, pears, beans and bacon make a popular autumn dish, and dried pear bread is a traditional Christmas treat in Bavaria.