Quince, the May-Have-Been Fruit of the Garden of Eden

Part of the Rosaceae family and the single member of the Cydonia genus, the may-have-been fruit of the Garden of Eden is similar to pears in its appearance and to apples in regards to how it grows, but it is more tougher and less popular.

It has a tough flesh, it is bright yellow, and it is an autumn fruit. It does not appeal to a great many people, and it reaches its full potential when cooked rather than raw.

Its name is quince.

Quince and its journey through time

Among the many fruits believed to have been the forbidden in the Garden of Eden is also the quince that stands alongside the apple, the pomegranate, the fig, the pear and a few more others.

It is, however, uncertain what fruit Adam and Eve actually ate in the Garden of Eden, and so the earliest we know for sure about quince is ancient Babylon.

The name of the fruit as is today derives from “Cydonia,” the fruit having been known as such to the ancient Greeks. They developed a better variety of the then older and common quince and endowed the fruit with sacred and medicinal virtues alike.

Greek mythology has it that a quince offered to Aphrodite by Paris may have started the Trojan War and ancient customs held quince as a token of love.

Quince – a noble dessert

Though known less today, quince was a much-appreciated fruit well into the medieval ages when cooks prepared various quince desserts and marmalades for courts and banquets.

• In England, in Shakespeare’s time, the quince was highly regarded as a “stomach comforter,” and its uses were highly esteemed especially by confectioners who began preparing quince marmalade and selling it as a form of food art.
• Preserves became extremely popular in England and quinces had their skin peeled in a spiral and preserved entire in syrup. An unused pewter spoon was left boiling with the fruit to have the preserve take on a red color.
• Compotes, marmalades, and quince jelly were three other sweet desserts that spread widely in households, and quince marmalades especially became one of the most appreciated sweets, also consumed for its therapeutic properties.

Quinces remain one of the best fruits to be consumed, although very few people enjoy eating the fruit raw. It is true however that cooked quince outnumbers its brethren in regards to taste and tenderness, although the fruit is bound to lose some nutrients along the process as it usually happens when fruits are cooked.

Nevertheless, cooked quinces still retain important compounds, and they make amazing pies, cakes, and confectionaries that can also serve as basis for other foods.

Quince – Nutritional profile

100g of raw quince has merely 57 kcal, but the fruit contains an abundance of nutrients that include minerals, dietary fiber, phenolic compounds, antioxidants, and minerals, thus presenting a number of health benefits.

Quince is yet to be studied for its exact relevance to human health, but assessing the organic compounds and all the nutrients in the fruit made nutritionists to confirm that cancer prevention, protection against gastrointestinal diseases and allergic reactions, balanced blood pressure levels and weight loss are among the health benefits of quince.