From France to Southern Oregon Royal Riviera Pears are a special type of Comice (pronounced ko-MEESE) pear that was first propagated in France in 1856.

According to Hunts, the Royal Riviera Pear, a variety of Comice, got its name because Harry and David's father, Samuel, used to “export the pears he grew to the high-end restaurants on the French Riviera, where European royalty spent their holidays.” Ironically, the Comice pear's actual origin is in France.

One of the most popular pear varieties, the Comice (ko-MEESE) pear, which is where the Royal Riviera® Pear derives from, is grown in the Harry & David orchards. First propagated in France in 1856, they earned the nickname “The Fruit of the Kings” because of their sweet, buttery flavor and were a favorite among royalty.

Angers, France Angers, France: The True Birthplace of the Royal Riviera Pear. A visitor's guide to the origin of the Doyenné du Comice pear, “mother” of the Royal Riviera. It's a sweet place to spend the day. There are two types of people in this world: pear people and apple people.

Top Pear Cultivars

1. Anjou. An old-time favorite, 'Anjou' produces large, short-necked fruits that are pale green with a light pink blush.
2. Baldwin. 'Baldwin' produces attractive, oblong fruit in light yellow with a red tint.
3. Bartlett.
4. Bosc.
5. Comice.
6. Hood.
7. Kieffer.
8. Pineapple.

Bartletts Bartletts used to make up most of America's pear production (they have since given way to Anjou and Boscs), and they are still the most popular variety in the country. Most canned and processed pears (purées, juices) are made from Bartletts.

Etymology. The word pear is probably from Germanic pera as a loanword of Vulgar Latin pira, the plural of pirum, akin to Greek apios (from Mycenaean ápisos), of Semitic origin (pirâ), meaning "fruit". The adjective pyriform or piriform means pear-shaped.

Harry & David's product lines include gift baskets, flowers and plants, fresh fruit, chocolate and sweets, and wine. Wolferman's main products include gourmet English muffins and other breakfast foods, and Stockyards is primarily known for selling USDA Prime and Choice quality meats and chops.

The Comice variety offers some of the sweetest pears you will find. These pears are short and round when compared to many others, but they have delicate skin with a soft, juicy interior. The Comice pear is hard to beat if you are looking for a sweet piece of fruit to eat raw.

China - Ranked #1, the country accounts for 71.07% of total world Pear production.

Pears are fruits produced and consumed around the world, growing on a tree and harvested in late summer into mid-autumn. The pear tree and shrub are a species of genus Pyrus /ˈpaɪrəs/, in the family Rosaceae, bearing the pomaceous fruit of the same name.

Asian pearEuropean pearPyrus nivalisCallery pearPyrus pyrifolia var. cultaPyrus pyraster Pear/Lower classifications

Buddha-Shaped Pears A Chinese farmer used a special mould to successfully make a Buddha-shaped pear after several years of trying to perfect the method. Each carefully developed pair costs around $8.

Bartlett Pears / Williams Pears Bartletts* are the juiciest pears when eaten raw. They can make a real mess but are so delicious when ripe and juicy, it's worth the drip marks on your shirt. Since Barletts are so juicy, they lose their shape when cooked.

A pear is a sweet, juicy fruit which is narrow near its stalk, and wider and rounded at the bottom. Pears have white flesh and thin green or yellow skin.

Pear fruits are generally sweeter and of softer texture than apples and are distinguished by the presence of hard cells in the flesh, the so-called grit, or stone cells. In general, pear fruits are elongate, being narrow at the stem end and broader at the opposite end.