Editing Perry (section)

===Fruit===

The pears used to make perry are typically not the large, sweet varieties eaten as fresh fruit. Perry pears tend to be small and relatively {{nowrap|bitter{{hsp}}{{mdash}}{{hsp}}}}the distinction between table pears and perry pears is similar to the distinction between table apples and cider apples. Perry pears are thought to be descended from wild hybrids, known as ''wildings'', between the cultivated pear ''[[Pyrus communis]]'' subsp. ''communis'' and the now-rare wild pear [[Pyrus pyraster|''Pyrus communis'' subsp. ''pyraster'']].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ciderculture.com/ciderologist-speaks-praise-perry/|title=The Ciderologist Speaks: In Praise of Perry|last=Cook|first=Gabe|date=25 September 2017}}</ref> The cultivated pear ''P. communis'' was brought to northern Europe by the Romans. In the fourth century CE [[Saint Jerome]] referred to perry as ''piracium''.<ref name=":6">{{Cite book|title=Horticultural Reviews|last1=Merwin|first1=Ian A.|last2=Valois|first2=Sarah|last3=Padilla-Zakour|first3=Olga I.|date=2008-04-15|publisher=John Wiley & Sons, Inc.|isbn=9780470380147|location=Hoboken, NJ, USA|pages=365–415|language=en|doi=10.1002/9780470380147.ch6}}</ref> Wild pear hybrids were, over time, selected locally for desirable qualities, and, by the 1800s, many regional varieties had been identified.<ref name=":33">{{Cite web|url=http://cider.wsu.edu/perry/|title=Perry {{!}} Washington State University|website=cider.wsu.edu|language=en-US|access-date=2018-04-29}}</ref>
[[File:Perry pears, Nichols Orchard, Dyrham Park (geograph 2630034).jpg|thumb|right|Perry pears growing at [[Dyrham Park]]]]

The majority of perry pear varieties in the UK originate from the counties of Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Worcestershire in the [[west of England]]; perry from these counties made from traditional recipes now forms a [[European Union]] [[Protected Geographical Indication]]. Of these perry pear varieties, most originate in parishes around [[May Hill, Gloucestershire|May Hill]] on the Gloucestershire/Herefordshire border.<ref name=gog>[http://www.gloucestershireorchardgroup.org.uk/varieties/pears/ Gloucestershire Orchard Group, Pears] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100825173832/http://www.gloucestershireorchardgroup.org.uk/varieties/pears |date=25 August 2010 }}, accessed 08-12-2009</ref> The standard reference work on perry pears was published in 1963 by the [[Long Ashton Research Station]]; since then, many varieties have become critically endangered or lost. Over 100 varieties, known by over 200 local names, were in Gloucestershire alone.<ref name=ppm>[http://homepage.ntlworld.com/scrumpy/cider/history2.htm Pears and Perry Making in the UK] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100218181435/http://homepage.ntlworld.com/scrumpy/cider/history2.htm |date=18 February 2010 }}, accessed 8 December 2009</ref> These local pears are particularly known for their picturesque names, such as the various "Huffcap" varieties ('Hendre Huffcap', 'Red Huffcap', 'Black Huffcap', all having an elliptical shape), those named for the effects of their product ('Merrylegs', 'Mumblehead'), pears commemorating an individual ('[[Stinking Bishop pear|Stinking Bishop]]', named for the man who first grew it, or 'Judge Amphlett', named for [[Assizes (England and Wales)|Assizes]] court judge Richard Amphlett), or those named for the place they grew ('[[Hartpury]] Green', '[[Bosbury]] Scarlet', '[[Bartestree]] Squash'). The perry makers of Normandy grew their own distinctive varieties such as ''Plant de Blanc'', ''Antricotin'' and ''Fausset''; the perry of [[Domfront, Orne|Domfront]], which has been recognised with [[Appellation d'origine contrôlée|AOC]] status since 2002 and PDO status since 2006, must be made with a minimum of 40% ''Plant de Blanc''.<ref name=domfront>[http://poire-domfront.fr/poire-domfront/ Le Poire Domfront], accessed 23-05-2018</ref>

Pear [[cultivar]]s used for perry-making tend to be small in size, turbinate or pyriform in shape, and too astringent for culinary use.<ref name=":02">{{Cite journal|last=Postman|first=Joseph|date=April 2002|title=Register of New Fruit and Nut Varieties: List 41|url=http://hortsci.ashspublications.org/content/37/2/251.full.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200110121131/http://hortsci.ashspublications.org/content/37/2/251.full.pdf |archive-date=2020-01-10 |url-status=live|journal=HortScience|volume=37|pages=261–262}}</ref> Specific perry pear cultivars are regularly used to make single-variety perries; this was formerly the usual practice in traditional perry making, meaning that in the past, each parish would have produced its own characteristic and distinctive perries due to the very restricted distribution of many varieties.<ref name=luckwill27>Luckwill and Billard (1963) ''Perry Pears: Produced as a Memorial to Professor B. T. P. Barker''. Bristol: National Fruit and Cider Institute, p.27</ref> Blended perries, made from the juices of several varieties, were traditionally disregarded as they tended to throw a haze, though in modern commercial production, this is overcome with filtration and use of a centrifuge.

Good perry pears should have higher concentrations of [[tannin]]s, acids, and other [[Phenols|phenolic compounds]].<ref name=":33"/> Some of the pears considered to produce consistently excellent perry include the 'Barland', 'Brandy', 'Thorn,' and 'Yellow Huffcap' cultivars.<ref name=":02" /> Compared to cider apples, perry pears have fewer volatile components and consequently fewer aromatics in the finished product.<ref name=":12">{{Cite book|title=Fruit Processing|last=Jarvis|first=B.|date=1996|publisher=Springer, Boston, MA|isbn=9781461358756|pages=97–134|language=en|doi=10.1007/978-1-4615-2103-7_5|chapter = Cider, perry, fruit wines and other alcoholic fruit beverages}}</ref> Their tannin profile is very different from that of cider apples, with a predominance of astringent over bitter flavours. They do, however, contain a high concentration of [[Ethyl decadienoate|deca-2,4-dienoate]], a group of esters that affords them their prominent pear aroma.<ref name=":12" /> Another important attribute of perry pears that distinguishes them from cider apples is their relatively higher content ratio of [[sorbitol]] to other sugars, such as [[fructose]]. Because sorbitol is not readily fermented by [[yeast]], it is not converted to [[ethanol]], so perry tends to have more residual sugar than [[cider]] produced from the fermentation of apples.<ref name=":42">{{Cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/06/01/479367453/perry-craft-cider-s-pear-cousin-shines|title=Raise A Glass To Perry, Craft Cider's Pear Cousin|work=NPR.org|access-date=2018-04-29|language=en}}</ref> In addition to producing a sweeter beverage, sorbitol also contributes to increased body and a softer mouthfeel in the finished perry.<ref name=":12" /> Compared to apples, pear pressing is made more difficult by the additional presence of specialized cells known as [[sclereid]]s, which have thick cell walls that provide extra support and strength to the pear tissue.<ref name=":52">{{Cite web|url=http://fluoview.magnet.fsu.edu/gallery/plants/pearfruitsclereids.html|title=Olympus FluoView Resource Center: Confocal Gallery - Pear Fruit Sclereids|website=fluoview.magnet.fsu.edu|access-date=2018-04-29|archive-date=18 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180518055934/http://fluoview.magnet.fsu.edu/gallery/plants/pearfruitsclereids.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> Because of this inherent perry pear attribute, the addition of enzymes and pressing aids is a commonly used practice for improving perry production.<ref name=":6" />
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Categories of perry pears<ref>HortScience, vol 9, october 1974, page 423</ref><ref>HortScience, Vol. 37(2):251-272</ref>
|-
! Type !! Acidity % !! Tannin % !! Cultivars
|-
| Sweet || <0.3 || < 0.1 || Barnet, Red Pear
|-
| Medium Bittersharp || 0.3 - 0.45 || 0.1 - 0.2 || 'Blakeney Red', 'Gin'
|-
| Bittersharp || > 0.45|| < 0.2 || 'Butt', 'Barland'
|-
| Medium sharp || 0.3 - 0.45 || < 0.1 || 'Brandy', 'Hendre Huffcap'
|-
| Sharp || > 0.45 || < 0.1 || 'Yellow Huffcap'
|}