Gifts of Autumn: Quince in Osh

The end of October is when trees finally dress into yellow, red and brown colors. Most of 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 pear and have a cute fuzz on top. The fuzz is believed to protect this fruit from cold. People with enough knowledge in gardening won’t harvest its fruits till 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 first cultivated in Mesopotamia. It later made its way to the Mediterranean and reached Greece and Rome where it became a symbol of happiness, love and fruitfulness. There are reports about the law which stated that every newly married couple should feast quince before going to the bed for the first time. Through Rome it made its way to Europe and was also quite popular. Its parts were used to make medicine, wine, jams and marmalade (actually the earlies marmalades were all made using quince). However, the popularity of quince has drastically declined not only in Europe but even in Central Asia. Nowadays we mostly get quince from home gardens.