Storing This Food
Store quinces in the refrigerator and use them within two weeks.
Preparing This Food
Wash the quince under cold running water, wipe off the fuzz, cut off the stem and the blos-
som ends, core the fruit, and bake or stew it.
What Happens When You Cook This Food
When you cook a quince, heat and the acids in the fruit convert the quince’s colorless leu-
coanthocyanin pigments to red anthocyanins, turning its flesh from pale yellow to pink or
red. Cooking also transforms the raw quince’s strong, unpleasant, astringent taste to a more
mellow flavor, halfway between apple and a pear.
How Other Kinds of Processing Affect This Food
Medical Uses and/or Benefits
Lower levels of cholesterol. Foods high in soluble gums and pectins appear to lower the
amount of cholesterol in the blood and offer some protection against heart disease. The
exact mechanism by which this occurs is still unknown, but one theory is that the pectins
in the apple form a gel in your stomach that sops up fats and cholesterol, carrying them out
of your body.
Adverse Effects Associated with This Food
Food/Drug Interactions
Quinces