Le Lectier Pears ル・レクチェ

 

Le Lectier Pear, is a European variety of edible fruit pear that was introduced to Niigata in 1903 from France. The story goes that Niigata farmers had a taste of the pears and the flavor of the sweetness left such an impression they decided to grow them themselves, so they began ordering saplings from France. The time that the pears arrive and disappear are about a month per year and because of that it has the nickname “The Phantom Pear”. The word pear comes from the word piriform which means pear-shaped that can be traced back from latin, greek, and german origins. 

Le Lectiers are carefully cultivated, harvested, and ripened by hand in such a way that it imparts a delicious, juicy, and fragrant crunchy flesh to it. Le Lectier pears are set in a controlled environment for 40 days as it becomes green and its aroma starts creating the smell of pears when it changes to a yellow color. The texture feels crunchy and a really rich flavor that was juicy with a flesh that is smooth and not all that stiff.  

In France, Le Lectier pears are known to be really difficult to cultivate and many Farms in France had stopped growing the variety as it remains rare to find them. When looking for the best Le Lectier pears usually Niigata Prefecture shows up in Japan and has become an iconic fruit for the area. It was described in Europe as incredibly refined and a luxury fruit with a Flower-like sweet scent, plump pear shape, and for its gorgeous yellow color.

Japan Pear Capital: Minami-ku, Niigata City, there is an area known as "Shirone district" is considered the "Japan Pear Capital" and is the primary location where Le Lectier pears are grown in Niigata Prefecture. This is where Sayukichi Koike, a farmer, first introduced Le Lectier pears to Japan in the early 1900s. The Shirone district's climate and fertile soil, thanks to the Shinanogawa River, make it ideal for Le Lectier cultivation.