La France is a type of western pear.
Although it originally comes from France, it is now grown commercially almost only in Japan.
Yamagata Prefecture accounts for about 80% of Japan’s total production.
Tendo City is especially well known, but La France pears are sold throughout Yamagata Prefecture.
You can also find them at Yamagata Station.
The season runs from late October to around December, with November being the peak.
They have a meltingly soft texture and a rich, elegant sweetness, with a smoothness similar to butter.
In Yamagata, La France pears are also sold at supermarkets, so you should be able to find them.
This is truly a special fruit available only during this time of year.
They are also distributed outside Yamagata,
and are often sold at supermarkets across Japan, including in Tokyo.
La France pears have a “best time to eat,” which differs for each individual fruit.
It is common to let them ripen at room temperature before eating, a process known as after-ripening.
If you eat one before it is ripe, it honestly does not taste very good.
We tried eating one before it was ripe as a test, and it was harder than biting into a raw daikon radish.
Information about the best time to eat is usually written on the box or shown on a sticker.
If there is no such information, try asking a store staff member.
If it is difficult to ask a staff member,
try reading the following site using Google Translate.
For this fruit, the best time to eat is really important.
https://www.nmai.org/guide/lafrance/index.html
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