 | |
| Type | Jelly |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Portugal Italy Spain |
| Main ingredients | Quince, sugar |
Quince cheese (also known asquince paste) is a sweet and tart, thickjelly made of the pulp of thequince fruit. It is a common confection in several countries.
In the Iberian Peninsula, this traditionally Mediterranean food is known by various names: ate or dulce de membrillo inSpanish, marmelada or doce de marmelo inPortuguese, marmelo inGalician, marmiellu inAsturian, irasagarra inBasque and codonyat inCatalan. It is a firm, sticky, sweet reddish hard paste made from the quince fruit (Cydonia oblonga). Similar preparations are popular across different cultures, such as birsalmasajt inHungary, pâte de coing inFrench-speaking regions, and cotognata in Italy. It is also enjoyed inMexico,Colombia,Argentina,Uruguay,Paraguay, andChile as ate or dulce de membrillo, and known as machacado de membrillo inPeru, ממבריו (membrio) in Israel, ayva peltesi inTurkey, and marmeladă de gutui inRomania.
Quince cheese is also a traditional food in France, served duringChristmas, and is a common food inItaly.[1]
The recipe is probably of ancient origin;[2] the Roman cookbook ofApicius,[2] a collection of Roman cookery recipes compiled in the late 4th or early 5th century AD, gives recipes for stewing quince withhoney.[citation needed]
Historically,marmalade was made from quince.[3] The English word "marmalade" comes from the Portuguese wordmarmelada, meaning "quince preparation" (and used to describe quince cheese or quince jam; "marmelo" = "quince").[4] Nowadays (in English), "A marmalade is a jellied fruit product which holds suspended within it all or part of the fruit pulp and the sliced peel. It is prepared from pulpy fruits, preferably those that contain pectin. Citrus fruits are especially desirable because of their flavor and pectin content."[5]
Quince cheese is prepared with quince fruits. The fruit is peeled and cored, and cooked with a teaspoon of water and from 500 to 1000 g sugar[2] per kg of quince pulp, preferably in a pressure cooker, but it can also be left for longer (40 minutes–1 hour) in a regular pot, in this case with a little more water (which will then evaporate). It turns a light brick colour in the pressure cooker and on a regular pot, after a long cooking time, dark brick colour. After leaving it to set for a few days on earthenware/clay bowls (preferable), topped with parchment paper rounds, it becomes a relatively firm quince paste/cheese, dense enough to hold its shape. The taste is sweet but slightly astringent (depending on the amount of sugar used), and it is similar in consistency, flavor and use to guava cheese orguava paste.[6]
Quince jelly is made with the skins and core, including pips, that were discarded when preparing quince cheese. They are cooked until halved in volume and the water is then sieved. For every 1000 ml water, 500 g sugar is added and the concoction is again boiled, until thread point is achieved.[citation needed]
Quince cheese is sold in squares or blocks, then cut into thin slices and spread over toasted bread or sandwiches,[7] plain or with cheese, often served for breakfast or as a snack, withmanchego,mató,Picón cheese (Spain),Serra da Estrela cheese orQueijo de Azeitão. It is also often used to stuff pastries.[citation needed]
In Spain, Uruguay, Argentina, Mexico, Chile, and Ecuador, themembrillo (quince) is cooked into a reddish gelatin-like block or firm reddish paste known asdulce de membrillo. Similar confections are made in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Uruguay by replacing quince with other ingredients, such asguavas in Brazil and Colombia,squashes,apricots, andfigs in Uruguay, andsweet potatoes in Argentina and Uruguay.[citation needed]
Thepastafrola, a sweet tart common in Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay, is usually filled with quince paste. In Argentina and Uruguay, a slice ofdulce de membrillo (quince cheese) eaten with a slice of soft cheese is considered the national dessert. In Argentina it is referred to asvigilante. In Uruguay it is known as Martín Fierro in reference to the folk character from the epic poemMartín Fierro by Argentinian authorJosé Hernández.[8]
In Brazil, a dessert known asRomeu e Julieta is made withGoiabada, guava paste with a similar consistency to quince cheese, and cheese.[9] In May 2022, a variety of quince cheese known asMarmelada de Santa Luzia was recognized as an Immaterial Cultural Heritage of theBrazilian state ofGoiás.[10]
In the Philippines, it is known asmembrilyo and is generally made from guava. It is usually served as a dessert during the Christmas Eve dinner (noche buena).[11][12]
In French "quince paste" orpâte de coing[13] is part of the Provence Christmas traditions and part of thethirteen desserts,[14] which are the traditional dessert foods used in celebrating Christmas in the French region of Provence. In the city ofOrléans, the cotignac is a speciality since middle age.
In Serbia, especiallyVojvodina, all of Hungary, and continental Croatia, i.e.,Slavonija quince cheese is an often prepared sweet and is namedkitn(i)kes, derived from German "Quittenkäse".[citation needed]
Quince cheese, a New England specialty[2] of the 18th century, required all-day boiling to achieve a solidified state, similar to the Frenchcotignac.
In Hungary, quince cheese is calledbirsalmasajt,[15] and is prepared with small amounts of lemon zest, cinnamon or cloves and often with peeled walnut inside.Péter Melius Juhász, the Hungarian botanist, mentioned quince cheese as early as 1578 as a fruit preparation with medical benefits.[16]
InVojvodina, it is sometimes prepared with addition of finely grated walnut, hazelnut or pumpkin seeds. Sometimes a certain amount of sugar would be replaced by an equal amount oflinden honey.[citation needed]
