Quince

What it is

Quince, Cydonia oblonga, belongs to the rose family alongside apples and pears. A mature fruit measures about 7.5–12.5 cm (3–5 in), with skin that changes from green to gold. Inside, the flesh has an apple-like cut surface but a hard, grainy texture.

Some varieties carry a scent of their own: Aromatnaya fruit grown at Carandale Farm in Wisconsin has a lasting lemon-like fragrance. Quince also contains plenty of pectin, the natural setting ingredient that makes it useful for jelly.

Where it comes from

Quince comes from the Trans-Caucasus, including rocky slopes and woodland edges in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Iran. People have grown it in Asia and around the Mediterranean for more than 4,000 years.

It remains a familiar crop in the Middle East, the Mediterranean and South America. In the United States, commercial growing is small, concentrated mainly in California and New York.

How it's eaten where it grows

In Spain, quince cooked down with sugar until it sets becomes membrillo, a firm fruit paste. It is traditionally paired with Spanish cheeses: thin slices sit on triangles of Manchego of the same size.

Türkiye’s ayva tatlısı is a winter dessert of quinces poached in sugar and water and spiced with cloves and cinnamon. It usually comes with kaymak, a thick clotted cream, and sometimes a sprinkle of walnuts or pistachios.

How it's grown

Quince grows on a small tree that loses its leaves in winter and carries pink spring flowers. Garden trees can reach 3–4.5 m (10–15 ft) tall and wide. They usually start fruiting at five or six years old, and a single tree can set a crop. The flowers need shelter from spring frost; the fruit needs sun to ripen.

When and where you'll find it

Outside the places that farm it, fresh quince turns up at farmers’ markets and groceries specialising in international produce. In the UK it is usually picked in October or November, before the first frost. Across the equator, Rayner’s Orchard in Victoria’s Yarra Valley usually has its quince season in autumn.

Undamaged fruit can keep for two or three months on trays in a cool, dark place. It stays firm, but bruises easily.