Meaning
The avocado. In Jamaica 'pear' means the rich, buttery, green-fleshed fruit — not the sweet European pear — eaten sliced with bread, with rice and peas, or alongside a meal, its smooth flesh a savoury complement rather than a dessert. Also called the 'alligator pear' for its rough skin, it is a much-loved seasonal food, and a good ripe pear in season is prized on the plate. To ask for 'pear' at the market is always to ask for avocado.
Examples
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Cut some pear fi go wid di food.
Cut some avocado to go with the food.
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Di pear ripe an creamy.
The avocado is ripe and creamy.
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Bread an pear fill yuh up.
Bread and avocado fills you up.
Origin
A shortening of 'alligator pear', an old name for the avocado, from the fruit's rough, pear-like shape.
How it’s used
A frequent point of confusion for visitors: ask for 'pear' in Jamaica and you'll get an avocado. In season it is a beloved side to almost any meal.