Medlar

This brown-rinded, apple-like fruit used to be called ‘openarse’ in English and is still called cul de chien – ‘dog’s bum’ – in French. You really have to look at a ripe one to understand why. The ripe fruit is seldom eaten fresh and instead they are ‘bletted’ on beds of sawdust to allow them to ferment slightly and achieve their full aroma. Perhaps their best-known use these days is in making a thick jelly preserve.