Where: Woodland edges, hedgerows, sunny hillsides.
Mainly in south.
What: Fruit
When: October – December
The Medlar,
like the Quince, is one of the lesser known fruits due to its relative rarity
growing both in the wild and as a cultivar. Once widely consumed by all and
considered a delicacy (Shakespeare mentions the fruit), it is now confined to
‘those in the know’… and now you!
Growing either
as a tree proper, or more commonly in the UK , rambling shrub, the Medlar can
reach the height of 6m, though usually 4m or thereabouts. The leaves grow
alternately on thorny branches, measure up to 12cm (occasionally more) in
length, and up to 4cm wide, and are a relatively narrow long, spear-shaped,
elipse in shape. They have a finely toothed edge and are a light green colour,
with greenish brown ribs and veins and a lighter, downy, underside.
The bark is
a greyish brown, with erratic vertical fissures and large flakes, not unlike
that of the Wild Service Tree. The flowers occur in May and June, measuring up
to 3 cm
across, and usually shorter than the green sepals underneath, they are made up
of 5 white petals with a yellow centre.
The fruit,
whilst occurring in August, is edible from October onwards, and is brown to
reddish brown in colour with a rough, slightly hairy, skin. It has a flat top
with a crown made of the green sepals below the flower. The flesh is not unlike
a hard apple, and contains 5 seeds measuring c. 1cm in length. Because they are
not a native to this country, though they are naturalised, the fruit does not
get a chance to ripen properly, and whilst they can be eaten when they are unripe, they are best picked and consumed once they have started to rot on or off
the tree – ‘bletted’ is the correct term – usually after the first frosts in
November onwards – keep an eye on them until they become soft and edible
The unripe,
or unbletted, Medlar tastes sharp and astringent, and has a distinct sweet
apply flavour. However, it is with the fully bletted fruit that you can
appreciate the flavours – subtle and certainly unique, it is not unlike a sweet
apple mixed with caramel, with hints of spices (cinnamon?) and a sharp taste.
Look, just try it will you! People do say it’s an acquired taste, but I love
it.
I spend a
lot of time working on the island of Crete where the Medlar is a delicacy and is known as μούσμουλο (Musmulo)
– the word itself is Turkish and is a hangover from the Ottoman occupation of Greece . And
whilst we are on the subject of etymology, it was in cruder times, once known
as ‘open arse’ – for obvious reasons – and its welsh name ‘afal tinagored’
means the same, whilst the French name, 'cul de chien', means dog’s arse. So
now you know.
Enough
arsing about, and onto the recipes. It makes a great jam/jelly, good in a tart
(see photograph), and can be eaten raw – apparently the best way is to suck the
bletted interior from the fruit like a vampire. It can also be turned into a
wine, although this, one assumes, if you are fond of sweet wines.
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