KACHEN #21 (Winter 2019) English edition

SEASONAL FRUIT
5 FACTS ABOUT
QUINCES
APPLE OR PEAR?
OR BOTH?
Neither! While they may look
similar and are also pome
fruit of the rose family, only
a few quince varieties are
edible when raw (e.g. the
honey quince). Quince are a
real delicacy in the form of
compote, jelly, juice, bread, or
in cake – even if, these days,
they are a mostly forgotten
treat.
QUINCE SYRUP
TO COUNTER REFLUX
Simply prepared and taken
daily for several weeks,
a syrup made up of 50%
diluted fruit extract, 12%
sugar, and 12% water, can
help, without side effects,
against the uncomfortable
reflux (daily 0.6 ml per kg
body weight).
STORING AND
FREEZING
The best quince has an intensive
scent and little fuzz. Small spots
on the skin do not matter but if
they have dents they need to be
used quickly. Quince can easily
transfer their strong aroma onto
other fruit, therefore are best
stored separately. Store at room
temperature and they continue to
ripen; keep cool, dry, dark, and airy
and they keep for up to two months.
Ripe fruit keeps two weeks in the
fridge (0-2 degrees). If you want to
freeze them they must be peeled
and blanched.
IT’S NOT ONLY
IN THE PULP!
Steep a teaspoon of the kernels
in one cup of warm water for a
few hours. The resulting quince
nectar helps against a cough,
is anti-inflammatory, laxative,
and helps to heal wounds (as an
external poultice; taken orally for
stomach and gut). A tea made
with two teaspoons of the kernels
boiled in 1/8 l water, and let steep
for 5 minutes, helps to counter
bad breath and restlessness.
Careful: kernels must be prepared
whole and remove them by
straining before consuming!
TEXT Martina Schmitt-Jamek
SUPER DELICIOUS –
SUPER HEALTHY
Not only because you need to use less sugar when
preserving on account of the fruit’s high pectin content
(the riper, the lower the content), quince are also a strong
antioxidant and are anti-inflammatory, detoxing, and a
digestive. The fruit are high in tanning agents, the flavonoid
quercetin and the vitamins A and C, which counteracts gout,
helicobacter pylori and atherosclerosis; while folic acid is
important in pregnancy.
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KACHEN No.21 | WINTER 19