A fruit of the genus Pyrus, grown by the Greeks and introduced to all the lands conquered by the Romans. By the Middle Ages, you could find pear trees in the gardens of European castles and monasteries. By the 17th century and for more than 100 years, cultivating pears was a popular hobby for wealthy gentlemen. A fierce rivalry flourished among aristocratic landowners in southern Europe. It became very fashionable to enter one's own estate-grown pear varieties in international horticultural exhibitions. Many of the varieties developed by these amateurs are still grown today. Jean Baptiste Van Mons (1765-1842), a prominent Belgian pharmacist and physicist, was perhaps the most prolific pear breeder of all time. Over a 60-year period Van Mons bred more than 40 superior varieties of pear. It is said Van Mons had at one time 80,000 seedlings growing in his garden. Van Mons loved to share his observations and plants with other fruit enthusiasts. To that end, he developed the first successful method of transporting cuttings and seedlings over vast distances, even as far as the United States. The Bosc pear, named after French horticulturist Louis Bosc, is thought by some observers to be a variety first developed by Van Mons.
The full names of some varieties, mainly those originating in Belgium, have the word beurre in their names to describe the soft, buttery, melting quality of the flesh. For this reason, pears are sometimes called "butter fruit." The first pear tree was planted on American soil in 1630, and pear trees are so hardy that they can bear fruit for a century or more. (For Pear Varieties see right.)
