Reviving the Pear: Exploring the Variety and Health Benefits of Korea’s Pears

“Pears are food that is placed on the ancestral ritual table for ghosts to eat, but who eats pears these days?”

This is something I heard recently from a pear grower. According to statistical data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the annual consumption of pears per capita in Korea peaked at 9.2 kg in 2008 and fell to 2.1 kg in 2020, with a person who consumes only 3-4 pears per year.

There is no pear variety like ‘Shine Muscat’ yet, and ‘Shingo’ is mainly shipped, so most of the time it is sold simply as ‘pear’ in supermarkets. In fact, according to the Korea Rural Economic Institute, by 2022, 85.3% of the nation’s pear producing areas will grow the “Report” variety. ‘Shingo’ is a variety developed in Japan and introduced to Korea around 1950. It has a beautiful appearance and is highly productive. As a result, the appearance and quality of the main variety, “Shingo”, have become synonymous with the pear.

According to a survey conducted by the Agricultural Management Division of the Rural Development Administration, consumers ranked “eating more diverse fruit” (36.2%) as the top reason for not consuming pears, and “expensive” (30.5%). ) as the second reason. Pears don’t boast a sweet and sour flavor like apples or tangerines or a unique flavor like tropical fruits. However, it is refreshing because it contains a lot of juice and is not spicy due to its moderate sweetness, so it goes well with most foods. Furthermore, it is beneficial for the diet due to its low calorie content, it helps protect the bronchi and the dietary fiber of pears remains in the intestine for a long time, making them excellent for eliminating toxins such as feces and carcinogenic substances. In particular, it is a food beneficial to health because it is rich in enzymes that break down proteins and helps improve the absorption of proteins in the body when consumed with meat.

Recently, in addition to “Shingo”, several domestically grown pear varieties are being reviewed for their different tastes and colors. The representative green-skinned variety “Greensis” has excellent disease resistance, “Super Gold” is sweet and sour, and “Joyskin” is a variety that can be eaten with the peel. The brown pear ‘Hanahreum’ is popular as a summer pear in early August, and ‘Shinhwa’ and ‘Changjo’ are popular as substitutes for ‘Shingo.’ The late autumn variety ‘Chuhwang’ is a variety that can be enjoyed throughout the winter due to its small size, rich flavor and excellent keeping properties.

Likewise, different varieties of pears are gradually sold on the market to delight our palate from mid-summer to late autumn. I believe that if we identify our pear with a “varietal name” rather than simply as a “pear”, it will no longer be a pear eaten by ghosts but will be reborn as a living fruit to be enjoyed in everyday life. From today we ask what are the varieties of pears present on the market. “I heard that ‘Chuhwang’ pears are delicious these days. Where are they?”

Won Gyeong-ho, Agricultural Researcher, Pear Research Institute, National Institute of Horticultural and Herbal Sciences, Rural Development Administration

#전문가의 #눈 #boat #eats #people #ghosts