Asian pears, also known as apple pears or sand pears, are a healthy treat that combine the best qualities of apples and pears. These fruits are a crunchy, sweet member of the pear family, but they grow to be round like an apple. The Asian Pear is often given as a gift throughout East Asia, due to its long shelf-life and delicious flavor.
Asian pears can be green, yellow, or brown, and they tend to weigh several ounces each. They’re native to East Asia, but they have spread around the world and are now cultivated everywhere from Australia to Canada. They bruise easily, but with careful packaging they can be shipped anywhere.
Asian pears are loved for their crisp texture and delicately sweet taste. They are normally eaten raw, but they can be baked or roasted as well. This tasty fruit is becoming more popular worldwide as its nutritional value and delicious flavor becomes well-known.
Nashi pears resemble large apples but have a sweet, melon-like taste and crisp texture. One pear has only 215 kilojoules and provides four grams of fibre. Nashi pears also contain more than a dozen vitamins and minerals, including vitamin C, potassium and manganese, as well as vitamin K and copper, which are both important for bone and blood health.
Nashi pears are ripe when picked, so you don’t need to wait to eat them – and they keep for up to three months in the fridge. Rather than squeeze them for ripeness (they’re hard), just smell them: their quality is signalled by a strong, sweet scent. The skin varies from green-yellow and smooth to tan-yellow and slightly rough.
You can enjoy Nashi pears raw, sliced like an apple. (While edible, the tough skin can be peeled.) Add sliced Nashi pears to salads and stir-fries. Make a slaw by combining julienned Nashi pears and celery ribs with grated fresh ginger, and chopped spring onions and coriander. Dress with lime juice and seasoned rice vinegar, and add hot pepper flakes to taste.
The nashi pear, or Asian pear, was been cultivated for thousands of years. Its antioxidants and phytonutrient profile may help with heart disease. Modern Science shows that this powerful cleansing pear is helpful in treating urinary and digestive problems, including constipation.
The nutritional benefits are:
Vitamin C
Dietary Fiber
B Vitamins