 Two Nashi pears. One has a bite taken out of it. Nashi pears (Pyrus pyrifolia and P. ussuriensis) are juicy, round pears that are shaped like apples. Because of the resemblance, some people call them "apple pears." They originated in East Asia where they are a popular fruit, eaten as a thirst quencher.
Nashi (梨) is a generic word for pears. European pears are called Yonashi (洋梨). Nashi pear flowers are white with five petals; they blossom around April. The fruit is harvested in fall and nashi may be used as an autumn kigo, or "season word", in writing haiku.
Famous varieties of nashi pear are 20-seiki Nashi, Kosui, Hosui, and Niitaka. Nashi pears are harvested in Chiba, Fukuoka, Fukushima, Ibaraki, Nagano, Tochigi, Tottori, Yamagata, and Yamanashi.
In recent years, nashi pears harvested in Japan have became luxurious presents in Taiwan, and its consumption has jumped.
Culture
In China, nashi pears have been considered a popular and sacred fruit. Many popular sayings have come from the nashi pear. In Korean cuisine, nashi pears are often sliced or made into a sauce to add sweetness to its dishes.
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