Bring on the fragrant quince, both culinary and medicinal delight
There are health benefits not only from the aromatic fruits but also bark, leaves and seeds.
Quince (Cydonia oblonga) is a member of the rose family (Rosaceae). The quince is most widely known for its fruit which has anti-oxidant, astringent, carminative, diuretic and tonic actions. A syrup of the fruit can be used for morning sickness in pregnancy. Other parts can be useful. The seed is demulcent and laxative, and can be soaked to swell up for treating constipation, similar to the use of linseed. The bark and leaves are astringent and antiseptic, useful for infusions and either internal or external use.
The quince is a small tree or bushy shrub growing to around 6 m, often multibranching. Large white-pink flowers are produced in May, mostly avoiding frosts. The quince is used as a rootstock for pear varieties. The fruits are a strange combination of apple and pear shape. sometime rather fuzzy. Quince is a self-fertile tip bearer, producing fruits ripening to yellow on the end of short branches. In most summers the fruits are fragrant. Despite the wonderful fragrance these fruits are not edible raw in Northern Europe and are usually harvested unripe. In warmer locations the fruits become soft and juicy.
The quince is originally from Asia and has been widely cultivated in the Middle East and Mediterranean. It was highly regarded in Greek and Roman times for its medicinal properties. In Asian medicine all parts of the tree are used including the flowers for head and heart complaints. The seeds have been used in treating diarrhoea and also in a lotion to soothe the eyes. The stem bark is astringent and has been used in treating ulcers.
Quince seeds were once part of the regular pharmacy store offering. Drawers in the store of the Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary show that quince seeds were available alongside coriander, parsley and water melon seeds and many others. The whole of this pharmacy has been preserved at the Apothecary Museum in Alexandria, Virginia, USA and can still be visited, a treasure trove if you are interested in pharmacy history. This apothecary operated from the eighteenth century through to the early twentieth century, and many medicaments were made on the premises.
Cultivation
A number of quince varieties are available in good fruit nurseries. The quince is hardy in UK zone 4 and USDA zones 5-9. It likes a rich and damp soil. The tree is best located in a sunny place for maximum production of fruit. Some pruning is needed after a few years and should be carried out to maintain an open shape. The flowering quinces (Chaenomeles spp.) are often smaller and thorny shrubs up to 3m and may have a use as a hedge. Some of these flowering quinces produce large fruits which are acid and tart so that they can be used in similar ways to the ordinary quince. One additional benefit of the flowering quince is the earlier flowers for bees.
Constituents and research
The fruit contains phenolic compounds, especially in the peel. The seeds contain mucilage, sterols, triterpenes, amygdalin and tannins. High in pectin and vitamin C, the fruits are also used in the food industry. The fruit has been used with benefit in a syrup to quell nausea and vomiting in pregnancy (Jafari-Dehkordi et al., 2017). The anti-oxidant leaf extract has been researched for potential use in diabetes and other conditions, and the leaves can be used as an antifungal agent (Ashraf et al., 2016). Positive benefits for use of quince extracts include many aspects of the cardiovascular system and are noted by Amerizadeh et al. (2022) from reductions in blood pressure to lowering blood lipid levels.
Self-help uses
A decoction of seeds can be made with about 10 g of seed in 500 ml of water, boiled in a covered pan for 10 min, then strained for use in diarrhoea, or externally in thrush.
The fruit or leaves can be made into an infusion to make a mouthwash or gargle for a sore throat. The leaves can be harvested in spring and summer and used fresh or dried.
The fruit can be made into a syrup used for diarrhoea and digestive complaints.
The fruits can be cooked and pureed for a delicious quince marmalade or preserve that goes well with cheese.
Note that quince seeds, like those of apples, should not be eaten in large quantities.
Making quince jelly is a selfconfessed delight for me. In my experience the jelly is beyond delicious, not just tangy but a depth of sweet and sour that is perfect for many uses, eating with cheese or porridge or even as an alternative to marmalade. Jelly making is my go to method for dealing with large amounts of fruit - no peeling is needed, chop all and cover with water, boil up till very squishy, then strain overnight through a jelly bag. My jelly bag has strings attached so I can hang it over an upside down stool. Do not squish the jelly bag as this clouds the end product (so I am told, though I never dared to try this to find out what really happens). For firm and unripe fruit measure the strained juice in millilitres (ml) and add the same amount of sugar in grams (g). For ripe fruit less sugar is needed. Warm and stir to dissolve the sugar, then boil till a set is reached. I use a laser thermometer to check for the temperature reaching 105 degrees Centigrade, or the tried and tested method is to cool a little on a saucer and see if the surface wrinkles. Pour into warmed jars, add lids and label when cool. Just try to make these jars of delicious tangy jelly last until next year!
The jelly recipe works well with both Cydonia and Chaenomeles fruits, here is a brief clip of the flowering quince fruits in Devon, UK.
References
Amerizadeh A, Vaseghi G, Esmaeilian N , et al. 2022. Cardiovascular effects of Cydonia oblonga Miller (Quince). Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2022: 3185442.
Ashraf MU, Muhammad G, Hussain MA, et al. 2016. Cydonia oblonga M., a medicinal plant rich in phytonutrients for pharmaceuticals. Front Pharmacol 7: 163.
Jafari-Dehkordi E, Hashem-Dabaghian F, Aliasl F, et al. 2017. Comparison of quince with vitamin B6 for treatment of nausea and vomiting in pregnancy: A randomised clinical trial. J Obstet Gynaecol 37: 1048-52.