Japanese Pear Day

Asian pears are native to Japan and China where they have been grown for over 3,000 years. While their flavor and appearance may be reminiscent of European pears, Asian pears developed from a different species. Asian pears can be divided into two groups. Japanese (also called Nashi) are better adapted to warm climates. They have a round and flattened shape with russeted skin and sweet, juicy flesh. Chinese varieties (called Li) are more cold hardy. They have more of the European pear shape, tapered at the top, which leads food historians to question whether there was some undocumented hybridization between Asian and European varieties ages ago.

July 4: Japanese Pear Day (Nashi No Hi). Yes, Japan celebrates America’s independence day by savoring a few cuts of juicy nashi. You get it: it’s “na” for seven and “shi” for four.