The original home of the wild forms of our present-day pears are the Caucasus and Anatolia. It is documented that pears were already cultivated during the Bronze Age. Many of the nearly 2,500 varieties known today can be traced back to accidental seedlings that were continually selected for in the 18th and 19th centuries, mostly in France and Belgium. In recent times established varieties have also been successfully crossed with each other. Pears have somewhat higher temperature requirements than apples, but just like apples need a winter dormant phase to form the bud onset. Cultivation in Germany is declining, not least because of the virulent strains of fire blight cropping up in local regions.
The shapes of pears range from spherical to angular to bottle-shaped. Parthenocarpic fruit is normally slimmer and, as can be assumed by the concept, does not have or has only a rudimentarily formed core. The colour of the peel ranges from green to yellow and brown to red or variegated red. Typically for pears - and thus no grounds for rejection - is a fine netlike, and partly jagged russeting of only part or the entire surface of the peel, depending on variety. Grittiness of the pulp (grain-of-sand sized stone cells or stone cell nests) is a sign that the developmental process is still not completely finished, but can also be peculiar to the variety concerned. Table pears with particularly delicately melting pulp are called "butter pears" (Beurré...). Pears do not contain much fat and only a few fruit acids. They have a diuretic effect. Therefore pears should be eaten particularly by older humans.
The main supplier countries are Italy, France, and Belgium; in the case of summer pears, Spain is also a supplier, as well as the numerous countries of the southern hemisphere supplying the markets year-round. Pear types are differentiated by season - summer, autumn and winter pears. Early ripening varieties must be turned over immediately, while autumn varieties can be stored up to three months and winter varieties tolerate storage times up to a maximum of six months. Some of the late varieties even require a certain storage time in preparation for initiation of the later ripening process.
Apropos of apples, one differentiates between small and large-fruited varieties of pears. The minimum sizes differentiated in the EC marketing standard are also prescribed for pears, depending on the class. For summer pears, which are shipped for the first time from 10 June to 31 July inclusive, as an exception no minimum sizes apply to sales in the EC. A list of the large-fruited varieties can be found in chapter 5 of the appendix to the standard. These varieties are marked with "LF" and those falling under the special exception for summer pears are marked with "SP".
Pears are a typical representative of the climacteric fruits. They are harvested hard ripe, when they have reached the stage of sufficient development. In a ripe condition they are extremely susceptible to pressure injuries, and even every tiny dent, bruise or trace of rubbing cause the fruit's peel and the pulp underneath to turn dark within a very short time and begin to decay. The ideal packaging is in single-layered crates in nest packages or on trays in several layers in cartons. Also, bulk packing up to a maximum of three layers is possible when the fruit is hard ripe. Packaging in nets is not advisable. The shelves in retail shops should be filled only in single layers (not on inclining surfaces).
Pears should therefore always be transported and stored at temperatures between -1° C and a maximum +1° C. Transportation over medium distances are allowed with autumn pears if the produce is destined directly for sales. Once taken out of refrigeration, pears may no longer be exposed to temperatures under 18° C. In no case may pears be put back into the cold-storage house. If this is not regarded, damage occurs to the pulp, and the taste is negatively and permanently compromised. With proper treatments, the ripening process will continue trouble-free. An exception to this rule applies only to fairly late ripening winter varieties.
During the phase when pears continue to ripen, they produce the ripening gas ethylene in considerable quantities. They therefore mutually "escalate" to a considerable degree while ripening. Also, ethylene present in the ambient air accelerates the ripening process. At accordingly high temperatures in the summer or in the sales outlet, a lot can become overripe within 24 hours. The principle therefore applies that only those quantities are to be held out for sale which can be bought up within a day. Overripe fruit, and fruit that has been knocked up against (i.e. with dents and injuries), are to be removed immediately from the shelf, since they affect the other fruit negatively.
During the entry inspection, it is to be made certain in particular that the pears (taking into account the special class requirements and tolerances of the EC marketing standard)