Why Chinese people eat boiled pear at the beginning of a cold and how to make this delicious dish

In every cuisine, there are some hidden gems in the form of remedies that people have been following for generations to keep the seasonal viruses away. In Chinese tradition too, they have some unique ways of using seasonal fruits and herbs to keep the body healthy, One such practice is by consuming boiled pear at the beginning of a cold. As per legends, in traditional Chinese medicine, the moment people feel those first symptoms of cold, slight headache, or stuffy nose, they consume boiled pear and drink the hot concoction of pear too.It is believed that's when the pathogen is still on the surface, not deep in your body yet and the best way to treat it is by consuming boiled pear. It is one of the oldest remedies which gently opens the lungs, moisturizes dryness, and helps your body push the illness out instead of letting it settle in. Scroll down to read its details and some other interesting dishes made with pear.

As per a study titled A review of pears (Pyrus spp.), ancient functional food for modern times, pears have many active compounds, including flavonoids, triterpenoids, and phenolic acids including arbutin, chlorogenic acid, malaxinic acid. It is found by researchers that the beneficial compounds are concentrated in the peels. From various in vitro, in vivo, and human studies, the medicinal functions of pears can be summarized as anti-diabetic,-obese, −hyperlipidemic, −inflammatory, −mutagenic, and -carcinogenic effects, detoxification of xenobiotics, respiratory and cardio-protective effects, and skin whitening effects. In particular, pears have been used for digestion of meat. In addition, the traditional function of pears on alcohol hangover was confirmed by the study as well. It is also mentioned in the study that a Chinese pharmaceutical encyclopedia, elaborated on the characteristics of and myriad uses of pears in China, namely that pears are sweet and a little sour, cold, and harmless, however, too much consumption of pears makes people thin and weak and brings out diarrhea. Hence, one should be very careful with the portion size of pears in the diet.

Ingredients: 1 pear and 2 cups of water
Method: Take an Asian pear or any pear available in the market, wash it well and slice it up. Add it to a saucepan filled with water. Bring it to a boil and then simmer for 2-4 minutes. Your dish is ready. Sip the warm water first and then eat the pear.

It is a classic dessert and home remedy, where pears are steamed with rock sugar and sometimes goji berries and is known for its soothing effect on the throat and lungs.

As the name suggests, it's a warm soup where Asian pears are simmered with rock sugar, dates, and sometimes tremella (snow fungus), and makes for a light dessert soup which is commonly enjoyed in winter.

For this dish, you have to stir fry pear slices along with shrimp, ginger, and light soy sauce, which offers a delicate balance of sweet and savoury flavours and makes for a comforting side dish.

To make this dish, thinly slice pork pieces and cook it with pear slices, garlic, and scallions. As per experts, the pear adds tenderness and subtle sweetness to the dish and makes for a comforting side dish.

To make this nourishing soup, combine chicken chunks, pear slices, ginger, and Chinese herbs, simmer them together in chicken stock and drink it to keep your respiratory system healthy.

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