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Quince

The common quince is a hard and austere fruit; when stewed with sugar, however, it becomes uncommonly pleasant, and in this way is often eaten alone; it is frequently employed to impart a flavour to apple pies. It is much used to make a preserve known as quince marmalade. A delicious beverage, something like cider, is also made from it. The seeds readily impart their mucilage to water, and will convert forty or fifty times their weight in water into a substance thick as syrup. The quince was grown by the ancient Greeks and Romans; in our own day it is cultivated in the South of Europe, in England, and in temperate climates generally. Quinces are peculiar for the strong odour which they exhale: this odour is a sign that they are fit for use. On account of it, the fruit should not be kept closely shut up in a place where the smell is likely to be unpleasant.