Perry: Difference between revisions

The majority of perry pear varieties in the UK originate from the counties of [[Gloucestershire]], [[Herefordshire]] and [[Worcestershire]] in the west of England. Of these, most originate in parishes around [[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 these varieties of pear was published in 1963 by the [[Long Ashton Research Station]]; since then many varieties have become critically endangered or lost. There were over 100 varieties, known by over 200 local names, 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> Perry pears were 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). In the UK the most commonly used variety is the Blakeney Red. Unsuitable for eating, it produces superior perry.{{cn|date=June 2015}}

Traditional perry making is broadly similar to traditional cider making, in that the fruit is picked, crushed, and pressed to extract the juice, which is then fermented using the wild [[yeast]]s found on the fruit's skin. The principal differences between perry and cider are that pears must be left for a critical period to mature after picking, and the pomace must be left to stand after initial crushing to lose [[tannin]]s, a process analogous to wine [[Maceration (wine)|maceration]].<ref name=rcpp2>Grafton, G. [http://homepage.ntlworld.com/scrumpy/cider/perry.htm Perry Making] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070207121437/http://homepage.ntlworld.com/scrumpy/cider/perry.htm |date=7 February 2007 }}, accessed 8 December 2009</ref> After initial fermentation, the drink undergoes a secondary [[malolactic fermentation]] while maturing.

The earliest known reference to fermented alcoholic drinks being made from pears is found in [[Pliny the Elder|Pliny]],<ref>{{Citation | title = Pliny's Natural History | url=http://www.masseiana.org/pliny.htm#BOOK%20XV | volume=book XV | chapter=section XVI | accessdate = 28 October 2011 | deadurl=yes | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170101063545/http://www.masseiana.org/pliny.htm#BOOK%20XV | archivedate=1 January 2017 | df=dmy-all }}</ref> but perry making seems to have become well established in what is today France following the collapse of the Roman empire; references to perry making in its later heartland of England do not appear before the [[Norman Conquest]]. In the medieval period, France retained its association with pear growing, and the majority of pears consumed in England were in fact imported from France.<ref name="ppm"/>

By the sixteenth and seventeenth century, however, perry making had become well established in the west of England, where the climate and soil was especially suitable for pear cultivation. In the three counties of Worcestershire, Gloucestershire and Herefordshire in particular, as well as in [[Monmouthshire]] across the Welsh border, it was found that perry pears grew well in conditions where [[cider apple]] trees would not. Smaller amounts were also produced in other cider-producing areas such as [[Somerset]]. Perry may have grown in popularity after the [[English Civil War]], when the large numbers of soldiers billeted in the Three Counties became acquainted with it,<ref name=wilson1>Wilson, C. A. ''Liquid Nourishment: Potable foods and stimulating drinks'', Edinburgh University Press, 1993, p.94</ref> and reached a zenith of popularity during the eighteenth century, when intermittent conflicts with France made the importing of wine difficult.<ref name=rhs>[http://www.rhs.org.uk/RHSWebsite/files/7f/7f2b102c-f4a6-4c27-bfbb-b3b7d235bff1.pdf Keeping It Real] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100117190921/http://www.rhs.org.uk/RHSWebsite/files/7f/7f2b102c-f4a6-4c27-bfbb-b3b7d235bff1.pdf |date=17 January 2010 }}, Royal Horticultural Society</ref> Many farms and estates had their own orchards, and many varieties of pear developed that were unique to particular parishes or villages.

Both English perry making, and the orchards that supplied it, suffered a catastrophic decline in the second half of the 20th century as a result of changing tastes and agricultural practices (in South Gloucestershire alone, an estimated 90% of orchards were lost in the last 75 years).<ref name=sgc>[http://www.southglos.gov.uk/NR/exeres/F0121B68-C8C5-4001-B521-E55500F2A957 South Gloucestershire Council – Orchards] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100304145442/http://www.southglos.gov.uk/NR/exeres/F0121B68-C8C5-4001-B521-E55500F2A957 |date=4 March 2010 }}</ref> Many pear orchards were also lost to [[Fire blight]] in the 1970s and 1980s. As well as the clearing of orchards, the decline of day labouring on farms meant that the manpower to harvest perry pears – as well as its traditional consumers – disappeared. It also lost popularity due to makers turning to dessert or general purpose pears in its manufacture rather than perry pears, resulting in a thin and tasteless product.<ref name="ppm"/> In the UK prior to 2007, the small amounts of traditional perry still produced were mainly consumed by people living in farming communities.

*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070207121437/http://homepage.ntlworld.com/scrumpy/cider/perry.htm Overview of making perry at home]

*[http://www.thethreecountiesciderandperryassociation.co.uk/index.htm The Three Counties Cider and Perry Association]{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}