Anchovy pear
Grias cauliflora
A tropical tree fruit whose English name hides a very different botanical identity from pears.
Find it near DetroitGet to know it
Anchovy pear is a fleshy tropical fruit in the Brazil-nut family. Young fruits become pickles with a mango-like flavour, while fully ripe flesh can be eaten raw. The fruit grows straight from the tree's trunk and large branches.
What it is
Inside an anchovy pear, a fleshy layer surrounds one large seed. The fruit can be pear-shaped, with yellowish green or russet-brown skin. Its scientific name is Grias cauliflora. For eating, the two preparations use different stages: ripe flesh fresh, young fruit pickled.
Where it comes from
The tree's range takes in Jamaica and Central America, extending south into Colombia. In Guatemala's Livingston area, it grows in groups along rivers, streams and lagoons. Wet lowland forest is its home, and it can grow in swampy ground close to sea level.
How it's eaten where it grows
The fruit has a long history as a West Indian pickle. In 1725 Hans Sloane wrote that Spaniards ate the pickled fruit in place of mangoes, and that it was sent from the Spanish West Indies to Spain as “the greatest rarity”. Young fruit is prepared like pickled mango and has a similar flavour; fully ripe fruit supplies flesh for eating raw.
How it's grown
The tree grows in hot, humid lowlands. Its leaves grow in great bunches and can reach 100 cm (39 in) long. Flowers open directly on the trunk and larger branches, followed by fleshy fruits in the same places.
When and where you'll find it
Anchovy pear is gathered from wild trees and occasionally grown for sale in local markets. Its food forms are ripe fruit and pickled young fruit. In Livingston, Guatemala, the living tree is part of the river landscape, growing in thickets beside the water.
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What it tastes like
The fruit has a fleshy wall around one large seed. Jamaican fruit tends to be spindle-shaped, while Central American fruit can be more pear-shaped.
How to buy it
1EatRipe fruit
Eat
Ripe fruitThe ripe fruit is eaten, and immature fruit has historically been pickled.
Detroit, Michigan
When it’s good here
Season not documented for Michigan.
Strange but trueHistoryNatureWhere the name came from
Sources
Sources
Anchovy pear · Fruitopia · checked Sep 22, 2026
- flaar-mesoamerica.org /wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Livingston-Grias-cauliflora-Palo-de-Jahuillo-report-VH-nov-2021-Pedro-Pablo-2022-rev-AC-JG.pdf
- npgsweb.ars-grin.gov /gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=408612
- sweetgum.nybg.org /science/projects/lp/taxon-details?irn=208396
- tropical.theferns.info /viewtropical.php?id=Grias+cauliflora