Batter-fried pears & pecorino

Serving cheese with pears is such a classic combination in Italy that no-one stops to wonder how this came to be. Its real origin, as explained extensively in the pears poached in wine recipe, is an ancient medical belief that raw fruits are too ‘moist and cold’, so they should be consumed with something ‘dry and warm’ — such as cheese.

Fascinatingly, serving cheese with pears even has its own proverb: Al contadino non far sapere, quanto è buono