Basic Introduction of Zhaoxian Snow Pear
Zhaoxian Snow Pear, also known as “Ivory Pear,” is a specialty product of Zhaoxian County, Hebei Province, with a long cultivation history that can be traced back more than 2,000 years. It has been selected as tribute to the imperial court since the Qin and Han dynasties.
The Zhaoxian Snow Pear is renowned for its white, flawless flesh after ripening, resembling frost or snow, earning it the description of being “as large as a fist, sweet as honey, and crisp like a nut.”
Nutritional Value
According to Li Shizhen's Compendium of Materia Medica from the Ming Dynasty: “Snow pear has a sweet-cold nature with a slight sourness.” It has functions such as “refreshing the heart and moistening the lungs, facilitating bowel movements, relieving pain, preventing infections, and when sliced and applied to burns, it relieves pain without causing ulcers.” Modern medical research shows that snow pears can quench thirst, stimulate appetite, eliminate phlegm, dispel wind, sober up, and detoxify. Snow pears made into pastes and syrups with herbs like Fritillaria, honey, or rock sugar have proven effective in treating acute and chronic bronchitis. The snow pear is an auxiliary therapeutic fruit for diseases such as hepatitis, cirrhosis, hypertension, and coronary heart disease.
Product Characteristics
The fruit is well-known for its large size, round shape, thin skin, thick flesh, excellent color, abundant juice, and sweet fragrance, alongside the Zhaozhou Bridge. Each fruit typically weighs around 400 grams, with the largest reaching 1900 grams. The sugar content ranges from 12-14%, with some reaching up to 16.5%.
Awards and Honors
The Snow Pear is hailed as the “Famous Fruit of China” and the “Number One Pear in the World.”
Tasting and Consumption Methods of Zhaoxian Snow Pear
Besides fresh consumption, it can be processed into various health foods with distinct flavors such as dried pears, pear paste, pear slices, canned goods, pear juice, and pear wine. They can be used medicinally for their effects of quenching thirst, moistening dryness, clearing heat, and relieving coughs due to phlegm.