In the New York Times garden section yesterday, they featured a fruit that has fallen so far out of style, it's practically a living antique. And while I appreciated the article, I also felt that they completely buried the lede, if not forgetting it entirely: This ancient fruit is one of the most delicious fruits you'll ever eat.
Yes, you've probably guessed by now that I'm talking about the quince, a fruit that grows on small, beautifully gnarled trees. Since the piece was in the garden section, it focused on growing quince and how the trees have fallen out of favor with modern gardeners, who don't know what to do with a fruit that has to be cooked before it can be eaten. To be fair, there were plenty of positive notes, as the author detailed quince's history in New York.
But I also felt that the sheer deliciousness of this fruit needs more airtime. When simmered with sugar and spices, quince becomes fragrant and perfumed, scarlet pink, tender like poached apples, but with more aroma and spicy, tangy notes. Cooked quince is such a sublime fruit, and almost no one eats it anymore.
So, while I was so glad to see this piece (and am shopping for my own quince tree very soon!) there's a case to be made for reviving the quince that goes beyond their historical curiosity and their unique, offbeat appeal — for a cook, they are a fruit to fall in love with.
Read the whole article: In Praise of the Misunderstood Quince at The New York Times
More Quince on The Kitchn
• Food Crush: Quince
• It's Time for Quince!
• Recipe Report: Quince Ratafia
• Recipe: Quince Chutney
• Weekend Recipe: Quince and Apple Tart
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I found some quince at a small Armenian market a few years back. But it's something I never see at the regular grocery stores. Same thing with cherimoya. I only find those at latino markets.
And if your interest is piqued by the article, look for quince at your farmers' market in fall, and be armed with a quince jam recipe (they are all over the canning blogs). It is one of the easiest jams to master because of its pectin content, and it is delicious!
I can find quince fruit here in NY, but I want a tree! The only nursery I can find online that carries them is in Georgia. :( Any suggestions?
Oh quinces are so delicious! This is a great recipe to use them, too: http://turmericsaffron.blogspot.com/2009/12/quince-stew-khoresh-beh.html
We love them in bread, muffins, and as a compote, too. :)
Hmm really? Thats odd...you can find them all over the place in my neighborhood. We have a quince tree that produces so much, we cant give it away fast enough sometime. I guess it depends on where you live of course.
I don't know if I'd recognize a quince if I saw one. I do know what it tastes like though because quince jams are pretty common. I will start looking for them at Farmer's markets
Our property line is planted with a quince hedge. I always look foward to their bright blooms because it means spring is knockin at the door. Quince jam is a favorite here too. Never met a quince I didn't like....never could resist biting into one at harvest time, yum! (this from someone who could eat a whole lemon:)
The shrubs have lovely salmon-colored flowers, too, not unlike peach trees. Nice and sturdy plants. Now I'm inspired - I'll aim to harvest the ones near my bus stop (woo hoo - urban gleaning!) and try stewing them this year. ; )
a good half-year out of season where I am in Europe. Glad to say that there are no imports to be seen. Always something to look forward to in autumn/christmas time
Oh love love quince. I'm a Brit and we have a quince tree in the garden. I love a chunky quince and apple compote...served with a good dollop of yoghurt, and it's the perfect dessert.
@ vintagejenta- I live in Western New York and I purchased my quince trees from Miller nurseries. www.millernurseries.com/ The trees were very healthy and began bearing quince within a few years.
I’ve been trying to find this in Kansas City since the 10.21.11 article about using quince to naturally scent your home. Help!
Lord! I'm completely quince obsessed, and I have been for some time now. I pestered the local shoprite until they carried them. Then I felt bad, because I could only buy a few, but they had a lot left. I hope somebody else bought them. I always think of them as more of an autumn fruit, though. I've made a lot of delicious edibles with quince. Somebody gave me a few jars of quince jelly, because they know of my quince love, and I've been making a lot with that, too.
I should say that I have a quince growing in my backyard, as well. My husband's aunt had a tree growing in her yard. She'd lived there since the 1940s. I made a lot of trifles and membrillo with quinces from her yard. She sold the house, but she gave us a small quince bush that had sprouted next to her tree. We thought its roots were so mangled it would never grow. But it did grow! Still waiting for fruit.
Who hasn't heard of quince?
I've been eating quince all my life, but what I find a bit weird about this post is that they are totally out of season right now. They come in the Fall.
I Los Angeles, you can find them at Korean supermarkets - when in season.
A cafe here used to make pancakes with quince preserve, quince syrup, mascarpone and toasted flaked almonds. They were indescribably good.
Then they took them off the menu. Grrr.
Ditto Polly S
@RRSW - Thanks so much! I'm in the Hudson Valley, but I'll have to check them out! I know someone in the Mohawk Valley who wants one too, so that's marginally closer. Lol. I knew if I asked someone would come through for me.
I've never tried it nor have I ever seen it in the store.
i think you are incorrect... i think many ppl have heard the word quince... they just maybe haven't encountered one.
this is where marmelade comes from! historically, marmelade was made from quince or 'marmelo' in Portuguese. whereas these days marmelade can mean many things in English and other languages, marmelada in Portuguese is still used only for quince jam - well, it's also ye olde time slang term for 'making out'!
I first encountered this when, as a child, my grandmother sent me to buy some that she could use to make some sort of balm for her swollen legs. Unfortunately, I can no longer ask her about it and am curious about this non-culinary usage. Anybody else use or see it used, in this way?
I will say that I love the pink color, when cooked, and it is great mixed with apples and pear.
As for other non-culinary inspiration, see the excellent ( if slow) movie "El Sol del Membrillo" about the Spanish painter Antonio Lopez trying to paint the quinces on a tree in his yard.
in my country(algeria) , each year we make quince au sirop and quince pate de fruit . the color is a nice translucide pink. so yummy
I love the smell of quince! For Thanksgiving last year I made a pear and quince pie with cardamom instead of cinnamon and it blew my apple pie out of the water. So good!
I have seen Wegman's and Whole Foods sell quince paste for years alongside Manchego cheese and Marcona almonds. Very dreamy combos.
I know that the popular theory is that quinces must be cooked before it can be eaten. However, the common practice in the South African communities I know is to eat lightly salted slices of raw quince as a snack. Cooked quince has always been the exception for me.
We had a quince bush in our backyard growing up, but we never ate any of them. I'm not sure if it's because my mother didn't know thy could be eaten, didn't like them, or if they were just bad by the time I came around like the apple tree was (the quince bush and apple tree were both original to the house; the apple tree had not been taken care of and produced tiny, green, insanely sour, worm riddled apples each fall. My mom had an arborist of some sort come look at it, but he said there wasn't a way to get the tree healthy again to produce good apples).
I could cry right now thinking of my Gram and the crescent yeast rolls that she made every Christmas Eve. She always served them with quince jelly.
My favorite jam is quince jam. Each winter I make a big jar. Also love quince dessert (Ayva tatlısı) (typical Turkish) with kaymak.