Gifts of Autumn: Quince in Osh

By the end of October, trees finally dress in yellow, red, and brown. Most of the fruits have already been harvested. However, among the shades of gold and brown, there is one exceptional tree. Its leaves are still green with golden fruits among them. Fruits are the size of an apple or a pear and have a cute fuzz on top. The fuzz is believed to protect this fruit from the cold. People with enough gardening knowledge won’t harvest their fruit until the real cold arrives.

In Central Asia, we call this fruit beh’i or ayva. But you probably know it as quince.   

Quince is believed to originate in Iran and Central Asia, but was first cultivated in Mesopotamia. It later spread to the Mediterranean and reached Greece and Rome, where it became a symbol of happiness, love, and fruitfulness. There are reports that a law states that every newly married couple should feast on quince before going to bed for the first time. From Rome, it spread to Europe and became quite popular. Its parts were used to make medicine, wine, jams, and marmalade (in fact, the earliest marmalades were made with quince). However, the popularity of quince has drastically declined not only in Europe but also in Central Asia. Nowadays, we mostly get quince from home gardens.