Roast Quinces

Asked by Juliaalpedhuez. Answered on 17th January 2021

Full question

I tried the Roast Quinces recipe in Cook, Eat, Repeat as I had loads still on a bush. Unfortunately they tasted disgusting, really very bitter. Could this be because they have been on the bush too long or maybe because they are a different type of quince? I think they are Japonica quinces.

Red Roast Quinces

By Nigella

Our answer

Nigella's Roast Quinces (from COOK, EAT, REPEAT) is a more savoury approach for quinces, which are normally cooked with lots of sugar. Quinces are usually hard and sour when raw, rather than bitter. In the oven the sourness of the quinces mellows and the flesh softens, giving a delicious side dish.

Most quinces sold commercially are from the Cydonia Oblonga family and grow on larger trees. The Japonica, or Japanese Flowering Quince, is mainly grown as an ornamental shrub as it has bright red flowers in the spring. This variety has fruits that are more bitter and we understand that generally this variety is not used for eating quinces. So we suspect that unfortunately the Japonica quince is on the bitter side and may not be best suited for roasting. We would however encourage you to try the recipe again with some store-bought quinces.