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Quince
Cydonia oblonga, Cydonia cydonia
Appears in
By Adrian Daniel and Michael Daniel
Published 2004
This wonderfully aromatic fruit from a central Asian tree of the rose family resembles a hard-fleshed yellow apple. Nowadays it tends to be ignored, probably because it is usually a bit acidic and dry if eaten raw, and normally requires lengthy cooking and sweetening.
The quince does, however, carry a long and noble history. It has been cultivated for more than 4,000 years and was among the most prized fruits in Ancient Greece and Rome, where it was regarded as sacred to Aphrodite/Venus, goddess of love. The quince was also thought to be the forbidden fruit of the Garden of Eden. Later, it became the first fruit to be used to make marmalade, which got its name from the Portuguese term for quince, “marmelo”.