Nobile Pear

Known in the Parma and Reggio areas as “nobile” and in the Piacenza area as “lauro”, the origin of this variety is not known. It seems likely, that given its characteristics and uniqueness, that it was not imported, like other varieties of pears, for example the bergamoto and the curato, or like plums such as the regina claudia, but that it was born in Emilia. A fortuitous case: a seed that gave birth to a pear that is appreciated by local farmers, who have decided to propagate it from generation to generation up to the present day.
The plant, if grafted on to wild pear trees, can reach a considerable size, some trees exceed 10 meters in height. The posture is upright, with a compact, dense and vertical crown. The leaves are light green, rounded and heart-shaped. The stem is long and also light in colour. The flowers are white, with 5 petals, 5 sepals, a pistil and many stamens, grouped in bunches (corymb). In the plains flowering occurs towards the first half of April (slightly earlier in the hills on the more sun exposed slopes, and delayed in the colder mountains) and lasts about ten days.
The fruit, is medium to small in size and has a particular and unique shape. This makes it easily recognisable. It has a wide and rounded base, which becomes thinner as you get closer to the stem, which then stops and where it is attached to the trunk. It has a thin skin, which is a very intense yellow colour when the fruit is ripe, with reddish hues where it has been exposed to the sun. The pulp is hard, firm, crunchy and grainy, with a creamy white colour, which becomes yellow once cut due to oxidation from the air. On the nose it is very fragrant, but it is too hard to eat as soon as it is picked from the tree.
It is in fact a pear that is eaten cooked, in wine or water. It is eaten in a salad with potatoes or chestnuts, it is used for the filling of tortel dols (a stuffed dough with a sweet filling made with pears, quinces and pumpkin, a classic from the local cuisine), or transformed into a mustard and consumed paired with cheeses or meats.

Season

They are available fresh in October, and can be found in processed goods all year round.