Comice

Comice, or more accurately Doyenné du Comice, is known as the ‘Queen of Pears’ due to its fine flavour and smooth, juicy, white flesh. This is the pear for pear aficionados! The fruit is quite round in shape, slightly irregular, and can be quite large. It has a green skin, often russetted, which marks quite easily if subject to rough handling, though this has no impact on the eating quality.

Ripening: Comice needs to be ripened before eating. This should be done at room temperature as fridge temperatures will slow ripening for many days. It is usually quite obvious when this the fruit is ready to eat as the skin colour changes to pale yellow, and softness can be felt around the stalk end. It is best to peel a Comice before eating as the skin is quite rough. Use a napkin or a knife and fork!

Consumers will enjoy Comice for its soft, silky, juicy, sweet flesh.

Good Fruit Guide Rating: *****

Names: Comice; Doyenné du Comice; plu 4414

Origin: Doyenné du Comice is a French variety, first propagated near Angers in the mid-1800’s.

Grown in: Comice is widely grown in cooler pear-growing regions. The main countries of origin are: UK, France, Belgium, Holland, USA, South Africa, New Zealand, Chile.

Harvest & Availability: Source countries of Comice for the UK are as follows:

• January: UK, Holland, Belgium
• February:  UK, Holland, Belgium
• March: UK, Holland, Belgium
• April: South Africa
• May: South Africa, New Zealand
• June: South Africa, New Zealand
• July: New Zealand
• August:
• September: UK, Holland, Belgium
• October: UK, Holland, Belgium
• November: UK, Holland, Belgium
• December: UK, Holland, Belgium