Quince

The quince (Cydonia oblonga) is among the minor pome fruits—relatives of the apple and pear— which are practically unknown in modern America. Probably native to the Elburz Mountains of Iran, the quince figures in the traditional cookery of Persia, Armenia, Georgia, and the Middle East in general. In Roman times the quince was brought to southern Europe, and it spread northward during the medieval period. In the United States, acquaintance with the quince does not often last beyond the first generation after immigration, and the quince has never been a fruit of much notice.