The golden yellow fruits of the quince have an intense citrus scent. As some of its German names suggest, the quince is symbolic of the apple of paradise or the apples of the Hesprides. It is considered a symbol of love, happiness and fertility.

The fruits, which are mostly very hard and covered with white-brown down, taste astringent and tart – except for a few cultivated varieties. A large part of the bitter substances is contained in the down, which must be thoroughly rubbed off before processing. Exposure to frost also reduces bitterness. Quinces are rarely eaten raw. They are mainly consumed as jelly (“quince cheese”), stewed fruit, mush, chutney as well as quince schnapps and “dulce de membrillo” (Portuguese). This is thickened quince puree with sugar, spread thinly and dried in the oven, then cut into rhombs. Occasionally, quince juice is added to cider.

The quince gave its name to marmalade; the term is derived from the Portuguese word for quince, “marmelos,” which in turn is borrowed from the Greek term “melimelon,” meaning “honey apple.”

• Edible fruits
• Type of fruit Follicetum
• Culinary Group Pome fruits
• Taste astringent bitter
• Trivial Names Quitte, Kretischer Apfel, Kydonischer Apfel, Hesperiden-Apfel, Venusapfel, Adonis-Apfel, Baumwollapfel, Schmeckbirne, quince, cognassier, membrillo, membrillero, cotogno
• Size (single fruit) 10 cm
• Taxonomy Rosaceae (rose family) Cydonia oblonga
• Origin Near East (Map)
• Locality Botanischer Garten Frankfurt (FRT) 2020