Did You Guess Quince?

Quince

The answer to yesterday's fruit question was Quince. 

I will readily admit that I had no idea when I first saw it.  I thought it was perhaps a crab apple.  But when you smell it, the fruit is fragrant.  Like a gardenia or an exotic tropical fruit.

We googled it and found out that it isn't well known in the US, but it is used a lot in the Middle East today, and it was often used in jams and jellies in English cookery.

There are some theories that it was the quince, not the apple, in the Garden of Eden. 

So, when I got home, I did a little recipe research.  I went to some of my go-to cookbook authors:  Alice Waters and James Beard, as well as some of my more historical cookbooks, like the Maine Cookbook. 

Turns out there are alot of quince recipes out there.  You cook it for a long time, and  do not eat it raw.  So, I will look for quince on the jams and jellies shelves.  Apparently it turns a lovely red color. Maybe I can find someone who grows quince to eat.  It would be fun to try.

If anyone has cooked with quince, or has a recipe to share, please do!