Oushuu Pear (King Autumn Asian Pear) from Tottori Prefecture, Japan

I recently found this unusual breed of Asian pear in a local Japanese supermarket. It was huge, around what felt like 12-13cm in height, whereas large Asian pears I've seen previously were only around 9-10cm tall. It also had a very intriguing reddish hue beneath the golden brown colour. According to various online shops, it was bred by crossing 3 Asian pear varieties: [Tsuurii x Nijyuuseiki] x Shinyuki.
Oushuu Pear (King Autumn Asian Pear) from Tottori Prefecture, Japan - gradiented red blush
It even has a special name, Oushuu Pear (王秋), which literally means King Autumn Pear, and is from Tottori Prefecture in Japan, which specialises in growing various Asian pear varieties. At first, underneath the plastic and foam wrapping, the reddish hue wasn't apparent, but once I had unwrapped it and saw how the reds blended with the golden brown, I totally understood why it is named King Autumn. Look at that gradiented red blush - isn't it pretty? It is also harvested from late October to late November, so it is also an autumn fruit. Nonetheless, apparently it has a long storage life, which explains why it is still good even near the end of December.
Oushuu Pear (King Autumn Asian Pear) from Tottori, Japan - packaging
Oushuu Pear (King Autumn Asian Pear) from Tottori, Japan - packaging 2
One of it cost around S$20, which is a high price even for a large pear. But I had no regrets trying it, because it had some unique pleasant qualities that I have not seen in other Asian pear varieties.

First of all, taste-wise, it was like a very flavourful Asian pear, with moderate sweetness. The floral honey notes were strong, and it was definitely sweet, just that the level of sweetness did not seem overwhelming, unlike some other premium Japanese fruits. I suppose excessive sweetness doesn't really suit Asian pears because they are meant to be juicy, crisp and refreshing rather than intensely sweet. So I loved the flavour. It wasn't bland like some of the more common Asian pears can be, but very full flavoured. 
Oushuu Pear (King Autumn Asian Pear) from Tottori, Japan - inside texture
The middle, however, was unusual in that it was actually quite tart. It was honestly too sour right at the middle, so I recommend taking out a core of about 1-2cm in diameter. But it is nice to leave a bit of tartness in, because other Asian pears don't feature such tartness. The sourness was like a refreshing granny smith green apple taste around 2cm from the centremost point, and it complemented the floral honey flavour extremely well. This is a rather unique trait of this Oushuu variety. If you really love sour, then you can eat the entire core part as well I suppose.
Oushuu Pear (King Autumn Asian Pear) from Tottori, Japan - crystalline slightly jelly-like crisp texture
However, perhaps the most interesting aspect to me was the texture. Unlike normal Asian pears which have a crispy apple crunch, this Oushuu pear had a slightly softer, more crystalline jelly-like quality to its crisp. The closest I can think of is raw turnip - crispy but crystalline and smooth. The crisp was also very fine and smooth, not like the rough crunch of an apple or other Asian pear. (Unlike turnip, however, there was no slime at all, just a bit of a jelly-like feeling.) 

Relatedly, it also felt a lot juicier than normal crisp Asian pears. I'm not sure if there's actually more juice or the jelly-crystalline glistening texture creates that impression. You can even see it in the pictures if you look closely - the areas around the seed are clearly somewhat translucent and the flesh is overall quite glossy. This was quite unusual in any fruit, and made it very unique and worth the experience.

Overall, I would say that due to the uniqueness of the tartness at the core and the crystalline jelly crisp texture, it is probably worthy of its premium branding, name and price tag. A great gift for people who like to try premium fruits or food. The large size and rich autumn colours also help make it look somewhat impressive. Definitely something I would consider a gift towards the end of the year if I'm hunting around for something in that price range.

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