Quinces, loose

Quinces are deciduous, thornless trees or shrubs.

The fruits are large, slightly downy, apple- or pear-shaped fruits, which are crowned by the persistent, enlarging calyx leaves at the time of fruiting. The fruit flesh has numerous stone cells. The pleasantly perceived fragrance is based on a mixture of at least 80 fragrances, mainly of esters. The well-known golden yellow colour of the fruits, the so-called "quince yellow", is mainly due to the flavon quercetin. Fruit maturity is from September to October.

The quince varieties growing in Switzerland, Germany and Austria are mostly unsuitable for raw consumption, as they are hard, astringent and bitter due to the tannins.

However, there are also varieties that can be eaten raw, such as the Shirin quince grown in Turkey. Quinces have a slightly sour, slightly bitter citrus aroma.

When preparing Central European varieties, the down or fur of the quinces must always be thoroughly rubbed off with a cloth before processing the fruit, as it contains plenty of bitter substances. Then the fruit can be used peeled or unpeeled. However, since the peel gets small scratches, this considerably faster method is only used if the fruits are processed immediately.

Use

Quinces are cooked, stewed, steamed or baked for consumption. Quinces can be used to make jam, compote, puree, chutney, quince soup, quince bread, juice and jelly, liqueur, wine and schnapps.

Of regional importance is the addition in the production of apple wine or apple juice. Baked, they are suitable as a dessert or side dish with meat.

Quince bread is a sweet made from thickened quince puree mixed with sugar, which is spread about 1 cm thick on a baking sheet, dried in the oven and then cut into 2-3 cm diamonds and turned in sugar. Quince bread is nowadays hardly available in shops in German-speaking countries, in Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries Dulce de membrillo is a widespread traditional Christmas or winter sweet.

The fruity-tart aroma of the quince can be ideally combined with cinnamon, ginger, orange peel, raisins, almonds and vanilla in the sweet range. The fruit also harmonises with nutmeg, Szechuan pepper, coriander or cardamom.

Storage recommendation

Quinces should be stored in a cool room and kept separate from other fruits and vegetables to retain their full aroma.