Preserved Pears
Source: Mary Randolph, 1824
History
This preserved-pears recipe is printed in the Preserves chapter of Mary Randolph's The Virginia House-Wife, an 1824 housekeeping manual and cookbook. As printed, the recipe states that small pears are better for preserving than large ones; the pears are pared and a syrup is made with their weight of sugar and a little water; the stem is left on and a clove is stuck in the blossom end of each; and they are stewed until perfectly transparent. The Virginia House-Wife is considered the first regional American cookbook. Beyond the recipe as it appears in this 1824 book, the historical record consulted here does not document a specific origin, social meaning, or geographic lineage for this dish. Earlier claims — that the clove marked the dish as a status symbol, or that the method descends from Roman "conditura" or Mediterranean fruit-in-honey preserving — are not supported by any source located about this particular recipe, and are omitted.
Ingredients
- small pears
- sugar
- a little water
- 1 clove
Instructions
- Pare the pears, leaving the stem on. Stick a clove in the blossom end of each pear. Make a syrup using sugar equal in weight to the pears and a little water. Stew the pears in the syrup until perfectly transparent.