The I love fruit and veg from Europe project promotes the consumption of seasonal products with unsuspected health benefits.

The healthy and quick snack so loved by sportsmen and children and which also works as an anti-stress: pears at will, they are healthy and can be harvested all year round.

Sweets and sugars at the right point since ancient times were consumed everywhere.

The Romans were fond of it and tasted it in several different qualities, as Pliny the Elder recounts in the Naturalis Historia: “they were eaten raw and cooked and were also used to make particular cooking dishes.

They were also preserved and dried in the sun and were eaten boiled in wine ”.

And in the 1700s in Rome we can even speak of «street food ante litteram«, because pears were sold by street vendors during their wanderings.

They made sweets, with cooked pears covered with caramel and skewered with a stick to enjoy all the flavor.

The term “peracottari” was born, and since these sellers offered poor quality products and were considered incapable, the term takes on a negative meaning and even now we exclaim: “make a figure of the peracottaro” or “make a petty figure”.

Pears are really good! Word of «I love fruit and veg from Europe», the project co-financed by the European Commission, which promotes the consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables.

They are rich in simple sugars such as glucose and fructose, they contain about 10 g per 100 g of fruit.

This means that they have a low glycemic index and that with due precautions can also be consumed by people with diabetes problems.

Pears must not be missing from the diet. They are super recommended in a low-calorie diet: one hectogram contains about 40 calories, they are rich in water, more than 80% of their weight, digest easily and facilitate diuresis.

Pears are a stress reliever.

Another element that makes these fruits so peculiar is potassium, which make them precious allies for the heart and blood pressure, but above all they are an excellent snack for those who practice sports.

It does not end here, potassium being an antagonist of sodium, makes them particularly suitable also during pregnancy as well as to fight fatigue and stress.

We also consume the peel. Pear can be considered an important source of vitamin A, vitamin E, niacin, pantothenic acid, choline, betaine, calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc and selenium.

Also eat the peel, because it is full of vitamin C, which helps strengthen the immune system and antioxidants, such as quercetin.

Furthermore, another fundamental feature is that it contains many fibers (6 grams, almost all soluble), equal to the recommended daily dose, which is about 20% and this means that it helps to satisfy the sense of satiety.

How are pears chosen? Pears are of good quality if the pulp is soft to the touch, but compact, if they detach easily from the stalk with a slight rotation and if the seeds are dark brown.

Curiosities about the pear.

The pear is a pommel, which is a so-called false fruit.

In fact, what we eat is precisely the enlargement of the receptacle covered by the thin skin, while the real fruit is represented by the core.

There are dozens and dozens of varieties.

Worth mentioning are the European internationals with an illustrious past such as Abate, Kaiser, Williams, the rare Volpina and Martinone and the ancient Lardara, San Giovanni and Moscatello.

Natural DIY cosmetics.

You can use pears and more, by virtue of their properties and therapeutic principles, to make beauty products at home.

Not only will we treat the body without using preservatives, dyes, etc., but we will also contribute to safeguarding the environment with eco-sustainable actions.

Pears can, for example, perform an astringent action and cleanse the skin of impurities, as they are rich in water and vitamins.

Here is a quick and easy recipe to make a mask that moisturizes oily skin, eliminates the shiny effect and fights the appearance of pimples.

Just mix the pulp of a pureed pear with 2 tablespoons of yogurt and a few drops of honey and lemon, you will get a smooth and moisturizing face cream.

We leave it on for about twenty minutes, rinse with warm water and the skin will be smoother and more luminous.

Pear smoothie.

Let’s go to the kitchen and prepare a sweet and fresh smoothie for all seasons.

Ingredients for 4 smoothies

• 5 pears
• 2 jars of vanilla yogurt
• 2 glasses of almond milk
• 80 g of almonds in petals (40 for the smoothie, 40 for the decoration)
• 2 tablespoons of honey (1 for the 4 smoothies and one for the decorations)

Method

Wash the pears thoroughly, peel them and cut into small pieces.

Pour them with the yogurt, almond milk, 40 grams of petaled almonds and a tablespoon of honey into the glass of the blender and mix until a frothy but uniform cream is obtained.

Pour into four glasses and place in the freezer for 5 minutes.

Serve garnishing with the remaining honey and the other almonds.

Pear jam.

Let’s stay in the kitchen and have fun preparing a delicious pear jam to combine with cheese.

Ingredients

• 1 kg of pears
• 50 ml of water
• Juice of one lemon
• 400 grams of sugar

Method:

Wash the pears thoroughly, peel them and cut into cubes.

Put the pear cubes in a non-stick pan, adding the water and lemon juice.

Bring the mixture to a boil for 15 minutes over medium heat.

Turn off the heat and add the sugar a little at a time, mixing with a spoon.

Return to the heat, bring to a boil again and simmer for an hour.

Store the pear jam in perfectly sterilized and dry hot jars.

Close them tightly and keep them upside down until they have cooled down.

Subsequently, wrapped in a cloth, dip them in a pot full of cold water until they are completely covered.

Bring to a boil for another thirty minutes.

To be sure that there are no bacterial loads, it is advisable to consume the jam three months after its preparation.

Federica Riccio