Poire Sarteau
Growing wild in the countryside and naturally resistant to disease, Sarteau pear trees produce great quantities of fruit. Much of the production comes from isolated trees. The pears themselves are small and slender; the skin is mostly yellow with a red blush on the side exposed to the sun. The Sarteau is very old variety, having originated in the 16th century.
This variety is primarily used in cooking, and the flesh turns reddish as it cooks. The Sarteau is used to make preserves, fruit syrups, and sweets (the popularity of the variety for these purposes has grown in Alpes-de-Haut-Provence since the 19th century). To make pear preserves, the skinned fruit is left to macerate with an equal quantity of sugar and then cooked. In the autumn of 2003, the Association of Alpine Fruits launched an appeal to track down the remaining Sarteau pear trees and producers.
Back to the archive >La poire Sarteau est également un fruit par excellence pour réaliser des confitures, des sirops de fruits ainsi que des confiseries (dont la popularité a augmenté dans la régions des Alpes de Haute-Provence depuis le 19ème siècle). Pour réaliser ces confitures de poires, les fruits pelés macérent dans une quantité égale de sucre avant d’être cuits.
Enfin, à l’automne 2003, l’association Fruits Alpins a lancé un appel pour localiser les poiriers restants ainsi que ses producteurs.
