Thank you sooo much!
One cannot help but suspect that some wit of a nurseryman selected the English name “Humbug” not only because the pear brings to mind the striped hard candy called that in Britain, but also because the fruit is a sham, a hoax, a humbug—its pretty appearance concealing an insipid flavor.
I got the impression, too. But then I’ve also read that it keeps until May without refrigeration. It could be, that the taste develops just before full ripeness, which may be a very short window before spoiling. This is the case of Comtesse de Paris. It is an excellent long storage pear. Good for breaking windows only, unless really ripe. ![]()
It is possible that hardly anyone eats it well-ripened because they just can’t wait and bite into the pretty thing - same as what happens with red fleshed apples. People can’t wait for the sugars to develop
Maybe I’ll invest those 13€ to find out…
Finally it is in the USA in recent years