Pyrus Pyrifolia*

Theo may not have the refined palate I thought he had. I made him a nice fresh Asian pear puree this morning and after a few spoonfuls he cried. So I got out the old store-bought jar of cold apple/plum and he ate it. As you can see below, he was quite happy once he ate the jar of food, and in fact, wanted to hold the jar, perhaps an attempt to communicate to me his preference for jarred food over my own creations, made with so much love. This following my disastrous attempt at feeding him papaya a few months back (see "Hunger Strike" posting). Maybe there's a reason that there is no Asian pear baby food on the market.

*Pyrus pyrifolia is a pear tree species native to China, Japan, and Korea. The tree's edible fruit is known by many names, including Asian pear, nashi, or nashi pear. The fruit is generally not baked in pies or made into jams because of its high water content and crisp, grainy texture, very different from the buttery European varieities. It is not a cross between apples and pears, as common names like apple and pear may suggest but its shape and crisp texture are reminiscent of apples.