(William Pears – Sorry, I don’t think you are suitable for Korean cooking)
One of my readers asked me if I can specify the type of pear I use for making Bulgogi. Because my recipe just says “pear”. Well, since I could only get one type of pear in Korea (It might be different in other big cities, but at least that was my case) I didn’t understand your confusion. Sorry.
So this is the type of pear you can use for Korean cooking.
(Korean pear, picture from Food for thought)
Its skin is a bit rougher and thicker, so you don’t eat the skin. However the flesh part is marvelously juicy (but not as much as watermelon) and sweet and has a crunchy texture like an apple. They are fairly expensive even in Korea, so I didn’t buy them often (about US $2-3 per pear).
Koreans usually add pear when they marinate meat. Because it makes meat softer (Apparently the enzyme called calpain does this part). You can substitute pear with kiwi or pineapple as well, but I prefer using pear. Also, if you marinate the meat too long the meat can go too soft, so watch out.
I heard that Korean pears are available at the green groceries in the US, but since I don’t live there I can’t give you the detailed information about them. So if any of you see Korean pears where you live (in any countries), please let us know (for your Korean food companions).
By the way, if you are in the US, it seems like you can buy Korean pears on the internet as well. So here are the links.
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