Sugar and the Preservation of Fruits

Methods of preserving quince had been developed by the first century, and early Greek physicians valued it for its medicinal qualities—as an aid to digestion and a cure for stomach ailments. The ripest, sweetest quinces could be preserved in their raw state, packed tightly together and submerged in honey. However, if the fruit was not very ripe, it would not soften in the honey, so people began cooking it in a mixture of wine and honey prior to preservation. Since quince is a high-pectin fruit, if the fruit was left to cool in the cooking liquid, a thick, fairly solid jellied conserve was achieved. The mix was frequently seasoned with exotic spices, including pepper. The cooked fruit could be lifted from the gel and used on its own or the conserve served as a sweetmeat at the end of a meal. Our word marmalade comes from the ancient Greek for “honey apple,” which was often applied to quince. In fact, the Portuguese word for a sweet, solid quince paste (which dates to the fifteenth century) is marmelada.