While the European pear is, at its finest, buttery and surrenders to the slightest pressure, Asian pears are firm, very crisp, hugely juicy and sweet and, in some cases, highly aromatic – spicy almost. Some are smooth-skinned, others lightly russeted.
2015 September 5, Mark Diacono, “In praise of the Asian pear”, in The Daily Telegraph (Gardening), archived from the original on 12 September 2015, pages 1–2