Friday, April 10, 2015

Garden quinces


After supper in a beautiful room with new and old friends, I was given these quinces - very generously - from a walled garden in Cape Town's city bowl, where it climbs on steep streets the lower slopes of what becomes Lion's Head.

I am turning a handful of them into membrillo. The rest I shall keep a little while longer, for their good smell.

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7 comments:

  1. I love the smell, and Iove membrillo. One day I will have a quince tree, or maybe a whole hedge like they always have in Portugal...

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  2. What is membrillo? Thank you for taking precious time during your sojourn in South Africa to post these delightful photographs and anecdotes, Leslie

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    1. It's a reduced quince paste, often served with cheese. Turns out like jellified candy. In Hispanic food aisles in supermarkets look for something similar in a round flat can (Goya), made from guavas - guayabate.

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    2. "Ate" (AH-tay) is the word you're looking for; "mebrillo" is just the Spanish word for quince. There are ates made of quince, apple, guayaba, etc. But I believe quince is common to all of them because of the especially high (if I'm remembering correctly) pectin content. I haven't had homemade ate de membrillo for a long time, and now I am craving it!

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    3. Thank you. Membrillo is short of dulce de membrillo, or, as you say, ate de membrillo, but as it's best known as "membrillo," and sold commercially under that name, I find it's easiest.

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    4. Me again. It sounds so strange to me to call ate "membrillo" but then I don't usually purchase it or consume it or even talk about it with non-Mexican people. :) So I didn't know it was referred to that way. And I just found this interesting etymologic tidbit on Wikipedia that definitely supports that use, from way back: "Historically, marmalade was made from quinces, and the English word "marmalade" comes from the Portuguese word marmelada, meaning "quince preparation" (and used to describe quince cheese or quince jam; "marmelo" = "quince")"

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  3. Halved and baked and served with custard. Ruby quince jelly on toast. Thin slices to nibble on. Memories memories.

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