Our fruit expert, David Karp, has the lowdown on this luscious, rosy fruit.
Most ripe quince are bright yellow, and look like fuzzy, short-necked pears.
The fruit s unique fragrance, hinting of pineapple, guava and Bartlett pear, can perfume a room. All commercial varieties are too hard, sour and astringent to eat raw, but the quince s whitish-yellow flesh softens and turns an attractive pink when cooked. It s high pectin content makes it ideal for preserves, and its sharp, distinctive flavor complements a wide variety of dishes. The quince is native to the Caucasus and northern Persia, but cultivation spread to the eastern Mediterranean basin. Many suppose that the Forbidden Fruit of the Garden of Eden was a quince.