# Why aren't pears as popular as apples? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 16, 2019, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-pears-as-popular-as-apples/834066 "2019-05-16T16:40:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2019, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-pears-as-popular-as-apples/834066/1 "2019-05-16T16:40:42Z")
I like apples. Especially Honeycrisp. I eat one every day at lunch. Or at least I used to. Because lately I’ve been eating pears, as I find them so much tastier. So why does my local Kroger have 20 bins of apples and only one or two bins of pears? Am I in a minority in liking pears more than apples? Also, I would think that anything that contains apples (apple pie, apple strudel, apple juice, etc.) could also be made with pears, yet those things seem to be rare or nonexistent when made with them. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2019, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-pears-as-popular-as-apples/834066/2 "2019-05-16T16:44:28Z")
My neighbors have a commercial apple orchard. They also have a few pear trees. They’ve told me that pears have a shorter season, do not store as well, bruise easily, and do not sell as well as apples. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2019, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-pears-as-popular-as-apples/834066/3 "2019-05-16T16:46:42Z")
I am not so fond of the grit, myself. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2019, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-pears-as-popular-as-apples/834066/4 "2019-05-16T16:51:53Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > do not store as well, bruise easily This sums up my experience with pears. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2019, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-pears-as-popular-as-apples/834066/5 "2019-05-16T16:54:00Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Am I in a minority in liking pears more than apples? Yes. Pears are sick, twisted mockeries of apples. Leathery hides, an uneasy combination of mushy and gritty flesh, a flavor that just screams, “NO!” Icky things, pears. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2019, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-pears-as-popular-as-apples/834066/6 "2019-05-16T16:56:53Z")
I’ve found the taste and texture of apples to be more consistent than pears, within a season and across seasons. There are more types with particular flavors to choose from. The long shelf life is a great help so you’ll end up with fewer bad ones. With most other fruit you take your chances on what you get. I definitely like apples more than pears but don’t know if other people feel the same or if just the kind of reasons listed above make the difference in their popularity. ---
**Author:** ![Disheavel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@Disheavel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disheavel)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2019, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-pears-as-popular-as-apples/834066/7 "2019-05-16T17:11:55Z")
I am a huge pear fan (as are my family in that we consume 5 lbs of pairs per week per person when in season) and I buy tremendous numbers from my local farmer’s market (9 boxes at $45 between October and January this year), but I would never buy a pear [again] from the store. Pears don’t store well, they bruise too easily, and they have been selected for thicker skins due to protecting against 1 & 2. I like apples about 50% as much, but I can get good fresh local apples from August to May so inevitably eat more of them (outside of pear season, of course). ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2019, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-pears-as-popular-as-apples/834066/8 "2019-05-16T17:16:40Z")
Too messy and juicy, especially when they begin to get overripe. I have Anjous sliced sometimes for fancy tea with bleu cheese sandwiches or raisin-bread & walnut circles, but have to be careful about the particular pears I buy for the purpose. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2019, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-pears-as-popular-as-apples/834066/9 "2019-05-16T17:49:25Z")
Apples are Cary Grant; pears are Rory Calhoun. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2019, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-pears-as-popular-as-apples/834066/10 "2019-05-16T17:53:44Z")
Apples keep far longer. Also, pears are usually sold underripe, which makes them hard and flavorless. I generally prefer them, but you have to buy them and let them ripen – and if you wait too long, they start to ferment. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2019, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-pears-as-popular-as-apples/834066/11 "2019-05-16T17:59:33Z")
In my mind, a pear has to be at near perfect ripeness to be truly delicious. Otherwise, it tastes like a raw potato. It’s been my experience that there is more leeway with apples. Sure, they rock when near perfect in ripeness, but they are still pretty good when not. ---
**Author:** ![Ashtura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ashtura/32/2963_2.png) [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2019, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-pears-as-popular-as-apples/834066/12 "2019-05-16T18:20:42Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > I like apples. Especially Honeycrisp. I eat one every day at lunch. Or at least I used to. Because lately I’ve been eating pears, as I find them so much tastier. > > So why does my local Kroger have 20 bins of apples and only one or two bins of pears? Am I in a minority in liking pears more than apples? Also, I would think that anything that contains apples (apple pie, apple strudel, apple juice, etc.) could also be made with pears, yet those things seem to be rare or nonexistent when made with them. Personal tastes aside, maybe because pears and apples aren’t the same thing? They have a saying for that, but they use oranges instead. In a blind taste test almost no one is going to mistake a pear for an apple. ---
**Author:** ![Art\_Rock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/art_rock/32/525_2.png) [@Art\_Rock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Art_Rock)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2019, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-pears-as-popular-as-apples/834066/13 "2019-05-16T18:25:50Z")
> [@Ashtura](#): > > Personal tastes aside, maybe because pears and apples aren’t the same thing? They have a saying for that, but they use oranges instead. In Dutch, the saying is actually about comparing apples and pears. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2019, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-pears-as-popular-as-apples/834066/14 "2019-05-16T18:33:54Z")
> [@Art\_Rock](#): > > In Dutch, the saying is actually about comparing apples and pears. 🙂 Touché, noble Dutchman. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2019, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-pears-as-popular-as-apples/834066/15 "2019-05-16T19:28:40Z")
Pear trees also take a whole lot longer to mature and start bearing fruit. This tends to discourage commercial expansion. The old saying went “You plant apples for yourself and pears for your heirs.” ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2019, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-pears-as-popular-as-apples/834066/16 "2019-05-16T19:34:00Z")
It’s the damn nuisance partridges that ruin the pears for everyone. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2019, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-pears-as-popular-as-apples/834066/17 "2019-05-16T19:34:14Z")
Ever hear of Johnny Pearseed? ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2019, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-pears-as-popular-as-apples/834066/18 "2019-05-16T19:35:43Z")
What I can’t figure out is why apparently\* nobody but me makes pear pie. Pears make very good pie. Make like apple pie, except add a little ginger. (If the pears are mushy and/or gritty they’re not very good pears; though the mushy ones might have been and might just be overripe. Some people may be comparing poor quality pears to good quality apples.) \*yes, I noticed ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2019, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-pears-as-popular-as-apples/834066/19 "2019-05-16T20:01:18Z")
It doesn’t help that the window of peak pear ripeness is only about twenty minutes long. ---
**Author:** ![yo\_han\_go](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yo_han_go/32/130_2.png) [@yo\_han\_go](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yo_han_go)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2019, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-pears-as-popular-as-apples/834066/20 "2019-05-16T20:13:20Z")
There are cons and pros as always. Personally I like taste of pears better, but, as said, they tend to be more messy to eat and can’t handle time/space continuum well. Dried one are delicious, alas hard to get. They make excellent juice, cider and schnapps, too. Had couple of trees around house when I was a wee bloke and used to climb them. My father used to experiment with “pear in a bottle” spirits at that time with mixed results. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-pears-as-popular-as-apples/834066.md?page=2)