The pear is in the botanical genus Pyrus in the family rosaceae. This places it in the same family as the flowering rose, which may explain their utterly delectable fragrance. Pear flowers are usually white, although yellow and pink tinted flowers exist. There are roughly 60 calories in a pear, assuming a typical pear weighing approximately 170 grams.

According to the Pear Bureau, pears are one of the most popular fruits in the world. An excellent source of fiber and a good source of Vitamin C, pears are free from sodium, fat and cholesterol. More than 3,000 different varieties of this blissful fruit are grown around the world. Each one has its own distinctive character, flavor and texture.

A perfect choice as a between-meal snack or in a lunchbox, they are also handy in some very interesting recipes. The beginner might try a shot at making a smoothie. Simply place in a blender with a large orange, sugar and some milk and whiz. When confident, they might graduate to a lavender mint spritz. Either beverage is lovely either with or without the addition of alcohol.

The Pyrus fruit is fermented and served as a beverage called perry. While some folk call this pear cider, because of its resemblance, cider purists go nuts and you are better off calling it by its own name. It is particularly popular in French and in the United Kingdom, where it is freakishly strong. The perry served in bottles in the United States has a lower alcohol content and tastes much more like pears and less like paint thinner, as do some of its European counterparts.

It makes an interesting sandwich when served with cheese and bacon on sourdough or wholemeal bread. Anjou, Bartlett and Bosc varieties are particularly tasty when prepared this way. Surprisingly, Pyrus fruit itself forms the basis of a gluten-free bread. The Bosc variety makes a handy substitute for pasta in pear lasagna with cardamom and brie. Pears and chorizo are an intriguing combination.

The tree that bears the Bradford variety is admired as an ornamental tree because of its red leaves in fall, its pyramidal shape and white flowers. Planting them in residential gardens is not recommended for several reasons. It is highly invasive; it stinks and splits easily in high winds because of its weak wood.

The first literary mention of the fruit appeared in The Odyssey by Homer in the 9th century B. C. This serves as confirmation that the fruit was grown at least three thousand years ago. Two millennia later, the fruit provided an alibi for Lizzie Borden, accused of murdering her parents in Fall River, Massachusetts on the night of August 4, 1892. At the time when she was accused of murdering her father with an axe, she testified that she had been in the barn consuming pears. She was acquitted.

The pear is one of the most popular fruits in the world. Considering the low number of calories in a pear, it makes an excellent snack on its own and may be incorporated in recipes. The fruit has been immortalized in literature for nearly three millennia. While some varieties of fruit tree make attractive garden plants, the Bradford variety in particular is a menace and should be avoided in domestic gardens.