Photo by Spin Spin.

Not a lot of people eat this humble and unattractive fruit. Honestly, neither did I until a few years ago. Dr Igor introduced them to me one Thanksgiving when he showed up with an excited grin exclaiming, “quince!”

I was definitely not excited when I saw them sliced up with my classic parsnips and sweet potatoes, but I couldn’t resist Dr Igor’s smile!

He did a great job selling them when he described an apple/pear-esque fruit without the grain of a pear, or the apple-ness of an apple. Somewhat tart, still sweet and slightly dry. You can’t eat them raw but they take beautifully to poaching, baking, stewing and just about any other method of cooking.

There isn’t a lot of health research and information on quince, but in China and Japan it is sometimes used to treat gastric ulcers. This started to make sense when my Armenian mother-in-law recently told me that they use them as a remedy for sore throats. Just soak the seeds in hot water for 1 day. A gooey jelly will form which is sipped to relieve sore throats.

This fruit has been cultivated in Armenia for 4000 years and is native to that region. The very high pectin levels and complex polysaccharides are likely the common link between the soothing of sore throats and easing of gastric ulcers.

Here is a super easy Armenian stew recipe she also shared (no proportions of course):

• Cook a bunch of onions and parsley with garlic in some oil
• Add  beef, sliced quince and chopped tomato, cook for a few hours

Since then I’ve managed to find quince jellies and paste (contignac in France) but always look forward to the short season of this awkward fresh fruit. Enjoy!

Dr. Nishant Rao is a co-founder of WellWire.com. He is a well-traveled naturopathic doctor and new father, practicing an integrative approach to create wellness in and around Los Angeles. Become a patient or discover his practice.