Quince

Name: Quince, common quince (Cydonia oblonga). The only species in its genus, so unlike apples and pears it has no widely grown separate varieties sold under different common names — it should not be confused with the unrelated flowering quince (Chaenomeles), grown as an ornamental shrub rather than for its fruit.

Description

The quince is a small tree or shrub in the rose family, native to Iran, Turkey, and the surrounding region, closely related to apples and pears and bearing similar white or pink blossoms. Its golden-yellow, pome fruit is intensely aromatic but very hard and astringent when raw, which is why it has almost always been a cooking fruit rather than one eaten out of hand.

Quince was once a fixture of home orchards in Europe and North America, but commercial growing has declined sharply there over the past century, while it remains an economically important crop in Turkey and parts of Asia. Cooking turns the pale flesh a distinctive pink and mellows the fruit's sharpness, a transformation long prized for jellies, preserves, and stewed or baked dishes.

Main nutrition value

Per 100g, raw quince:

Quince delivers more vitamin C and potassium than a typical apple or pear for the same weight, plus a notably higher copper content and a meaningful amount of fiber.

How best to be consumed

Quince is almost never eaten raw — it is far too hard and astringent — and instead needs cooking, typically peeled, cored, and simmered, baked, or roasted, often with sugar, to soften it and bring out its floral aroma. It is a classic addition to apple or pear dishes for extra fragrance and tartness, and is traditionally cooked down into a thick paste or jelly, such as Spanish membrillo, that pairs well with cheese.

Overconsumption could cause…

Cooked quince is safe in ordinary amounts, but eating raw quince in any quantity can cause significant digestive discomfort given its hardness and astringency, and the seeds, like those of apples, contain a small amount of a cyanide-producing compound and should not be eaten. Quince preserves and pastes are often heavily sweetened, so eating a lot of them regularly adds meaningful sugar to the diet even though the fresh fruit itself is not particularly sugary.

GroupsApples and PearsRose family (Rosaceae)Low fatLow sodiumFresh

Related foodsPearGreen AppleRed AppleAppleLoquatAsian Pear / Nashi Pear

U.S. Department of Agriculture, FoodData Central — Quinces, raw (FDC ID 168163), 100g portion: https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/168163/nutrients Encyclopaedia Britannica — quince: https://www.britannica.com/plant/quince