The Asian pear, also known as Japanese pear, Chinese pear, Korean pear, Taiwanese pear, apple pear, zodiac pear, papple, naspati and sand pear, is the edible fruit of the Pyrus pyrifolia tree. The fruit is cultivated worldwide and especially popular in East Asia, New Zealand, Australia, and the west coast of the United States.
Asian pears have crisp, aromatic flesh and very high water content, which makes them unsuitable for baking or canning, so nearly all the fruit is consumed raw. In some cultivars, the skin is tough, so many are peeled.