ISSUE 62, RELISH, Part 5: Pear Relish
Pear Relish
Pear Relish
From Virginia to Texas the pear trees that grow in back yards rarely grow bartletts or French butter pears—you know—the tender sort that you can savor out of hand picked from the tree. Fire blight ravages those varieties. The only kinds that resist the blight, and withstand the heat are “cooking pears.” These are either Asian hard pears or crosses between Asian and European varieties. If they are brownish, mottled, an the size of your fist people call them sand pears. If they are more shapely and subtle in taste they may be the Leconte or Keiffer pears. It is from these hardy and hard pears that a signature condiment of the South is fashioned, pear relish.
Let’s talk about what pear relish isn’t: It isn’t a condiment using raw pears, Bartlett or French pears, pears and another fruit or berry (no cranberries please).
It does contain peppers, onions, spices, sugar, and “cooking pears.” Not surprisingly, they are cooked. In most versions they are chopped fine or “ground” before cooking. The end product has vinegar snap, some heat from mustard or chili or a red pepper pod, a sweet kiss and an exotic bouquet of spice perfume.
In South Carolina this is condiment #2 after Jerusalem artichoke pickle/relish. It goes better with meat loaf than #1. I’ve reproduced below a page from the 1953 “Edgefield Guest Book” that has two recipes on one page.