Pears Forelle

Forelle is an attractive bi-coloured pear with a speckled appearance. Forelle pears have firm, almost crisp, sweet, tangy flesh and white-yellow background colour to the peel. The peel is smooth and thin and does not detract from the eating experience. These are small to medium-sized, elongated pears of the classic oblong pyriform bell-shape.

Forelle pears need to be ‘conditioned’ after harvest (stored for a few weeks), otherwise, they will be slightly astringent. Following conditioning, the fruit is generally eaten in a ‘softening’ state. However, with the advent of Smartfresh (an ethylene suppressant that slows-down ripening), the marketing of Forelle, particularly from South Africa has changed significantly: they are now be generally sold in a firm, crisp state to be eaten more or less like an apple.

Ripening: Where no Smartfresh has been used, yellowing of the peel is a good indicator of ripeness in Forelle pears, but check the stalk end for softness as well: there needs to be some ‘give’ to the flesh. All Forelle pears will eventually soften if you prefer a soft, succulent pear.