The French Revolutionary calendar celebrated pears on this date. Here are a few things you might not know about pears.
- Pear trees belong to the genus Pyrus, a member of the Rose family. Hence the word pyriform means pear-shaped.
- Pears have been around a long time. They were cultivated in China as far back as 1134BC, and a pear tree was planted in the Massachusetts colony in 1620.
- In China, the pear was a symbol of immortality and the destruction of a pear tree symbolised untimely death. It was considered unlucky to share a pear with someone, because the words for “to share a pear” were the same as “to separate”, so doing so would mean the end of a friendship.
- There are about 3,000 varieties of pear. One of these is the Bartlett, the most popular variety of pear in the United States. This variety is known by a different name in Europe - the Williams Bon Chrétien or the Williams. It has a different name in the US because a Bostonian named Enoch Bartlett bought a pear orchard. He didn't know the pears already had a name, so he began distributing them as Bartlett pears.
- In the Odyssey, Homer called the pear a “gift from the Gods.” The pear was sacred to two goddesses in Greek mythology – Hera and Aphrodite. It was also sacred to the corresponding Roman goddesses, Juno and Venus, and to Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruitfulness. The ancient Greeks used pears as a remedy for nausea.
- Before tobacco was introduced in Europe people used to smoke pear leaves.
- In the 1700s people called pears “butter fruit” because of their soft, buttery texture.
- Cider made from pears is called Perry. Towns with Perry as part of their name would at one time have had an abundance of pear trees.
- Architect's rulers are made from pear wood because it doesn't warp.
See also: Apples
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