quince

Everyday

1. A hard, yellow fruit shaped like a big pear, very sour and hard when raw but sweet and pink when cooked; used for jam, jelly and paste. tree →
2. The small tree that grows this fruit. tree →
3. (ornamental quince, Japanese quince) A garden bush with bright red or pink flowers in spring. tree →

In the lessons

In everyday cooking quinces are made into jelly or membrillo (quince paste, eaten with cheese). In poetry, «The Owl and the Pussycat» «dined on mince, and slices of quince». Phrases: «quince jelly», «quince jam», «quince tree».

Examples

• The Owl and the Pussycat dined on mince and slices of quince. tree →
• Gran makes quince jelly every autumn. tree →
• A raw quince is too hard and sour to eat. tree →
• Cooked quince turns a lovely pink colour. tree →
• Our quince tree is heavy with yellow fruit. tree →
• The word «marmalade» comes from a Portuguese word for quince jam. tree →

Note

Countable for the fruit or tree (quinces); uncountable as food. Quinces smell sweet even when raw. «Marmalade» was first made from quince (Portuguese «marmelo»), not oranges.