Homer, famous author of the Odyessy, called pears “gift of the gods.” That was in 800 B.C. Thousands of years before and thousands of years later, there are many (including me) who would agree.
Did you know?
Pears were cultivated in 5000 B.C. in China by Feng Li, a Chinese diplomat as a commercial venture.
The Chinese believed that the pear was a symbol of immortality. (Pear trees live for a long time.)
In Greek and Roman mythology, pears are sacred to three goddesses.
Pears are members of the rose family.
There are more than 5,000 varieties of pears! (When I was at the farmer’s market a guy showed me 5 varieties last week; I was impressed.)
Pear trees can produce fruit for up to 100 years.
Pears were cultivated to become the sweet juicy taste we know today.
Pears are Powerfoods.
Pears:
have more nutrients per calorie than calories per nutrient (surprising since they are so sweet). They are what I call a Smart Carb.
are a good source of dietary fiber, vitamin C, copper & vitamin K.
are often considered a hypoallergenic fruit that is less likely to produce an adverse response than other fruits by healthcare practitioners.
are often the first fruit fed to infants as a safe way to start.