Sometimes we are new to some fruits, such as quince. It’s undeservedly deprived of attention in the culinary world. However, this wonderful furry fruit contains many healthy substances. This is especially important in the autumn-winter period. Besides it, many different dishes can be made from quince!

Previously, quince was considered one of the varieties of apple. In ancient Greek mythology, the quince was the sacred fruit of Aphrodite, the goddess of love and fertility, and many believe that the golden apple presented to her by Paris was just a quince. Since then, it’s called the “apple of discord” or the “golden apple”.

In ancient Greece, quince enjoyed unprecedented honor and was a symbol of love and fertility. Mentions of quince are present in the writings of Plutarch: these tart-sweet fruits were obligatory present during the wedding rites, and the should have eaten a fruit of them in front of the invited guests. The marriage newlyweds was considered registered only after this. In the East, where the quince was also grown in abundance since ancient times, this fruit symbolized impeccable health and cleanliness.

Crete is considered the birthplace of the quince, where the latter got its name and then has spread throughout the world. The Latin name of quince is Cydonia oblong. It comes from the city of Cydonia (now Chania) on Crete. It’s assumed that the inhabitants of this city were the first who began to cultivate this fruit, and quince is known about 4 thousand years. Now it’s growing not only on Crete and in Greece, but also in Asia Minor, in the Caucasus and in Iran. In recent years, the border of its areal has moved 500 km to the North, and today fruit-bearing quince trees can be seen in the Crimea and even in Belarus, and Latvia.

This is a small deciduous tree or large shrub from the Rosaceae family. The fruit is greenish yellow or golden, resembling something between an apple and a pear. When fresh, quince fruits are hard and sour, but when boiled they have soft pink sweetish flesh, a bit like a pear. The quince’s “sisters” have similar taste qualities and a similar look: Chinese and Japanese quinces.

The variety of quince, still favored by Japanese and Chinese, is called “henomeles”. It means “to split an apple.” Greeks call quince “kydoni” and the Russian word for it is of Turkish origin.

The quince ripens usually in early October. Starting to eat these fruits is possible only when they acquire a rich yellow color and completely get rid of the grains in the pulp. In addition, the fluffy peel should disappear.

Fresh fragrant quince fruits are almost not consumed because of the astringent taste and coarse pulp. Sometimes quince is put in tea instead of lemon – connoisseurs claim that such tea has a more pleasant taste. Quince slices, added to the soup or borscht, give them a pleasant sour taste. Ever since ancient times, quince has been baked with honey, and in oriental cuisine this fruit was stuffed with beans or ground beef.

The most common products from quince are jams, preserves, marmalade, candied fruits, jellies – they are especially highly valued for their strong noble flavor. Jam from quince is very fond on Crete! It’s a traditional sweetness there.

Useful properties of quince have been used in medicine. Quince has tonic, hemostatic, antiseptic, diuretic and astringent properties. It’s used to treat anemia, cardiovascular diseases and diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, respiratory tract as well as asthma. Quince has a positive effect on the psyche—invigorates, improves mood. Mature fruits and seeds are used in cosmetics to prepare masks and lotions for oily skin.

The smell of quince is very pleasant. Many housewives use it in order to maintain such aroma in rooms and wardrobes. All valuable substances transmitting this odor are contained in the skin and subcutaneous tissue of the quince. Therefore, experienced housewives recommend not throwing away the skins: a decoction of them can be used as a delicious syrup or compote.

V. Dubrovskiy

 

Recipe for quince marmalade (from the site https://lady.mail.ru/recipe)

Ingredients:

4 quince fruits

70 ml. dry white wine

1 cup sugar

150 ml. water

Adjust the sweetness to your liking. Clean quinces from skins and seeds, cut into small pieces (the smaller the pieces, the faster they will cook). Put a pan on the fire, pour 100 ml of dry wine and cook on a low fire until the quinces have completely fallen apart.

Sieve the moisture content to achieve a more delicate consistency.

Cook syrup from water and sugar. Put the quince puree into the syrup and mix boiling over low heat until thick.

Spread the marmalade in molds and leave to stand for a day at room temperature. Marmalade becomes thick.

Pull the marmalade out of the molds and serve. Have a nice tea party!