Why "Quince?"

From being a young child, I have sought beauty, craved it in fact.

Winter has always been an extremely difficult time for me, largely due to the lack of beauty and colour – and of course, the cold! Everything here in the UK seems grey, bleak, and drab. I clearly remember being about five or six years old, staring out of our French windows at a quince tree which was trained to grow up a nearby brick wall. It was largely a collection of thin, leafless dark twigs but in January, magic happened, and small scarlet flowers blossomed almost overnight. Then, as the sunlight faded at the end of the day, it illuminated the tree and the blossoms looked like tiny little red lanterns, as if lit from within. Every evening, I would go to the window and wait for the blossoms to light up… they were for me a beacon of hope in the dark world of winter, a promise of the beauty to come in the warmer months, a balm for my eyes… and my soul. Calling my interiors company ‘Quince Interiors’ is my way of honouring that tree which saved me through many a winter.

To my surprise, it seems that the humble quince, with its rich fragrance of apple, vanilla and pear notes, has been revered throughout history and has very ancient roots. Here are some interesting facts about quince for your interest.

  • Believed to have originated in the forests of what is now called Iran, the fruit was spread across southern Asia by Neolithic farmers around 5000-3000BC - the quince is believed to so old they pre-dates apples. The ‘golden apple’ that Paris gave to Aphrodite in several classical poetry texts was probably a quince, as was the ‘apple’ that Eve ate in the Garden of Eden. Plutarch (c46-120 CE), a renowned Greek biographer, philosopher and historian, refers to the ancient Greek bridal custom of the bride biting into a quince before entering the bridal chamber to ensure her first kiss, and her future, was sweet.
  • The Roman author and naturalist Pliny the Elder, (who died in 79 AD), acknowledged the quince’s arrival from the East and its medicinal and spiritual purposes, for it was said to ward off the evil eye. Images of quinces are said to be featured on the ‘Blue Vase’ mosaic on the column of a Pompeiian home (now in the Museum of Naples) – with the quince motif commonly used in homes to signify status and hospitality.
  • Quinces were said to be first recorded in the UK in 1275, as Edward I planted quince trees in the grounds of the Tower of London.
  • Edward Lear mentions quince in his nonsense poem ‘The Owl and the Pussycat’ (1870),
    ‘They dined on mince, and slices of quince
    Which they ate with a runcible spoon,
    And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,
    They danced by the light of the moon.’
  • Van Gogh painted a beautiful ‘Still life with quinces’ in 1887.
  • Quinces grown in cold countries can be bitter to the taste, but when cooked they turn a beautiful rosy pink or deep dusky red colour and are often stewed down to make quince jam or paste, a delicious accompaniment to cheese. In Spain, quince paste or ‘Membrillo’ is often served with Manchego cheese.
  • What a rich history for a fruit! Those little scarlet blossoms will always have a place in my heart.