Arg! Foiled by quince: where can you buy quince?

[cteavin]

I've heard about quince since I was in high school and forced to read literature from Shakespeare to Austin where quinces were just part of their era. I've recently taken it into my head that I want to try one -- at this point anything made from quince -- but no matter how much I search I can't find quince. I've found a few online retailers that sell membrillo and from that I found the company in Spain which makes it but nothing like a preserved fruit that I can purchase and have sent to Japan (where I live).

Argh!

I was hoping someone had a lead on where to find it. At the very least I'd really like to purchase some extract or oil. From what I've read quince was a favorite flavor for candy back in the day. I'd love to add some quince oil to a fondant base to get a sense of what it's like.

Any ideas?

Cheers,

[cteavin]

As a side question, why aren't quince more available? Are they difficult to grow?

[prasantrin]

If you're trying to find them in Japan, you might be better off posting in the Japan cooking forum. There was already a discussion on trying to find quince in Japan in this topic. The short answer is--it's very difficult to find them in Japan, but if you're lucky, you'll find someone with a quince tree and get some from them.

[prasantrin]

You might also find some on Rakuten if you search using the Japanese name. I found other hard-to-find fruits (like meyer lemons) through rakuten.

[Mr Pie]

I realise this is of no use to you, but I have a quince bush in the back garden. Last season I got a few pounds of fruit off it and made it into chilli and quince jelly. It was great and had a nice tangy edge to it.

What do you have in mind for them? I would be interested to hear of any ideas for this years crop (other than jams/jellies I am a bit thin on ideas)

[brucesw]

Not sure just what you're looking for but MexGrocer.com has pulp pieces. They have a few other quince products but not the whole fruit.

[cteavin]

Thanks everyone,

I did try rakuten, kinokuniya, seijyoishi, etc but they're not to be had. If you're looking to start a long conversation with a shop clerk, talk quince. The reason I'm posting here is it's hard to find any retailer who stocks quince. Wit the exception of quince/apple jellies and jams all pure quince products I've been able to find online have been in Spain or through online shops in the UK. I'm hoping someone knows of a shop that ships, preferably to Japan but to America is also a possibility: my friends can bring it to me when they visit.

At Mr. Pie, what got me started on this was my iPad. Through the iPad I've been able to download lots of cookbooks dating back as far as the 16th century and so many of the recipes call for quince that I began to wonder what the taste was like and why it's faded away from our modern cuisine. On top of that, I love making candies and I was hoping to make fondants flavored with quince. If I were in your situation I would try pate de fruit in addition to caramels and cream centers.

Thanks for MexGrocer, brucesw. This might be perfect but if anyone else knows of any other sources, please post. I'm not in a hurry to buy.

[prasantrin]

Interesting. I did a search on Rakuten　and found quince juice, liqueur, jam, wine, seedlings, etc. Even canned quince from Iwate. All of the above were not karin, but quince, or so the pages said. Maybe you could take a look at the page to which I linked, and use the information there as a basis for a more thorough search.

[Peter the eater]

I realise this is of no use to you, but I have a quince bush in the back garden.

Same here.

My bush yields a large quantity of medium quality fruit. Tough as nails to work with but the flavour is there. In my mind, quince plants are like apples in that there are an almost infinite number of varieties and cultivars. Some you can bite into of the right off the tree while others are inedible red golf balls.

For the record, I've never seen fresh quince for sale.

These ones are from my tree . . .

[cteavin]

Interesting. I did a search on Rakuten　and found quince juice, liqueur, jam, wine, seedlings, etc. Even canned quince from Iwate. All of the above were not karin, but quince, or so the pages said. Maybe you could take a look at the page to which I linked, and use the information there as a basis for a more thorough search.

I just did another search on 楽天 and though I got the familiar ten pages and 399 hits they're all for cosmetics, shoes, fashion items, and manga. I did find liquor made from Chinese quince but that's not what I was looking for. As I understand it, the flavor profiles are different.

Could you do me a favor and post the link to the jam and canned quince? I've tried several searches for Iwate and Quince but got nothing. I'd like to know what I did wrong in searching.

And, um, if Peter and Mr. Pie want to send some of their fruits to Japan I'd be much obliged.

[prasantrin]

Japanese don't use the word "quince". I can't remember off-hand, just look up the info in the thread I linked to above. It's all there, then you can look up stuff on rakuten and elsewhere.

[Philip Dundas]

The reason quinces are so rare is more because they don't have so many uses- though it used to be common to leave one in a room as an air freshener - but there would always be one or two quince trees in an orchard. They are more commonly used in North African cooking when cooked with Lamb.

You can make a really autumnal crumble with quinces. Just peel 4 of them, cut out the cores and quarter them - rub them with halved lemon to stop them browning. Boil up half a litre of water and 200grms of water in a flat saucepan and add a slosh of cassis or even red wine. Poach the quinces until they are pink and soft. I like to make a crumble that is slightly gooey and drop it in and around the fruit and juice. Put it under a low grill, so that the crumble bakes and the sugary fruit juices caramelise.

[Susie Q]

Last year I found fresh quince at Bristol Farm's. It's a market here in Los Angeles.