CHAPTER III 

 THE QUINCE {Cydonia cydonia: Malacece) 



THE Quince, or Cydonia, is a near relative of the apple 

 and pear, sometimes in form resembling one, some- 

 times the other, according to variety. Its history is as 

 fragrant as the fruit itself, .which among the ancient Greeks 

 was typical of happiness and love, and bears about it a 

 still more ancient suggestion, through the old Hebrew 

 writers: that it was the forbidden fruit. And surely no 

 fruit was ever more tempting in perfume; more dis- 

 appointing in reality before cookery creates chemical 

 change. (The Japanese Quince {Cydonia Japonica] 

 is not a general cooking fruit.) The quince is native to 

 Greece and is now known almost as widely as the apple 

 and pear. Its name was bestowed upon it, it is said, in 

 the days when flourished the ancient city of Cydonia 

 in Crete. 



As an adjunct to or basis of preserves, and as a cordial or 

 unfermented drink, made as is cidef , the quince is a food 

 success and the mucilage which surrounds its seeds is con- 

 sidered of value in several ways, one of its uses being as a 

 cure for sore throat, or applied, externally, to other ir- 

 ritated surfaces. 



RECIPES 



QUINCE CIDER 



Make as for Apple Cider. 



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