Family Rosaceae – Roses & Fruit Trees. Also commonly called Chinese pear, nashi pear, and Asian pear, among more than a dozen other names.
In China, they have been considered a popular and sacred fruit. Many popular sayings have come from them. In Korea, they are grown and consumed in great quantity. Many are exported to the U.S. and sold as gifts, touting the superior quality of pears grown on the peninsula versus those grown in Southern California. Imported pears tend to be quite large and very fragrant, and are carefully wrapped, allowing them to last several weeks or more in a cold, dry place. In the South Korean city of Naju, there is a museum called The Naju Pear Museum and Pear Orchard for Tourists.
Because of their relatively high price and the large size of the fruit of cultivars, the pears tend to be served to guests or given as gifts, or eaten together in a family setting. In cooking, ground pears are used in vinegar or soy sauce-based sauces as a sweetener, instead of sugar. They are also used when marinating meat, especially beef. In Taiwan, nashi pears harvested in Japan given as luxurious presents. In Australia, nashi have been produced commercially for more than 25 years.
2. USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program, "Pyrus pyrifolia (Burm. f.) Nakai"