The quince is one of those foods you know in a few, also because it is not readily available. In fact, we hardly find them in the fruit and vegetable stalls of direct growers , and let alone in those of supermarkets!
But its time of harvest is precisely this, that is, full autumn , when it reaches maturity and passes from green to intense yellow.
One reason is certainly the fact that this fruit should not be eaten raw: it is in fact recommended to cook it to remove its strong and stringy flavor , light years away from the sweet one of pink or golden apples.
Surely you ate more sweet apples than quince , a fruit that, of course, is very low in sugar, which is why its caloric value is very low.
This quince tree sees its branches bend from the considerable weight of the fruits which have almost reached full ripeness.
Content index
- Nutritional values
- Advantages and properties
- How to make the famous quince jam
- Ingredients
- Method
- Quince jam – Photo recipe
Nutritional values
Nutritional value per 100 grams of raw quince:
- Calories: 29 kcal
- Total fat: 0.225
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
- Fiber: 6.4 g
- Potassium: 200 mg
- Carbohydrates: 6.3 g
- Protein: 0.3 g
Advantages and properties
In addition to its general values, it is possible to highlight its content in provitamin A (necessary to strengthen skin, hair and mucous membranes), potassium (basis for the correct functioning of muscles and nerve transmissions), calcium (essential for bones and teeth) and magnesium ( important for the proper functioning of the intestine).
In addition, it also contains malic acid , a substance that is part of the vegetable pigment , which gives flavor to the fruit, “with disinfectant properties and promoting the elimination of uric acid “, indicates FEN.
If we opt for quince jam, most of the nutrients disappear (due to cooking) and its high sugar content turns it into a food to be consumed with discretion.
Some quinces with an unusual round appearance reminiscent of sweet apples
How to make the famous quince jam
If you’ve never worked with quince, a surprise awaits you. The truly ripe fruits have a heady aroma, but are hard as a rock. Choose quinces that are firm and fragrant. If you can’t smell them, they aren’t ripe yet; give them a week or so on the fruit bowl and they’ll have a lot more flavor.
Ingredients
- 1 Kg of Ripe Quinces
- 600 grams of sugar
- Half a lemon
- Water to taste
- 1 cinnamonstick (optional)
Method
- Sterilize the glass jars with boiling water
- They need to cook, a lot of cooking before they fit the table.
- Do not peel the fruits but remove any fluff from the peel
- Cut the quince into pieces as in order to extract the cores
- If there are any rotten pieces, discard them and take only the intact pulp
- Put the pieces in a saucepan with a little water and half a lemon to prevent them from changing color
- Allow to simmer on the stove until softened.
Be patient, it will take some time. They definitely took longer than any jam I’ve ever made. At 30 minutes of simmering, they were still fully formed pieces.
They were also still completely white, while cooked quince has a beautiful pink color. After 45 minutes of simmering, they suddenly turned pink and you can chop them any way you like or mince them with an electric tool.
