Japanese quince is a fruit that is outlandish for our region, hard, tart and slightly sweet, which is not for everyone, and it is even surprising how this unsightly fruit turns into simple but delicious dishes before our eyes. Rumor has it that it was the quince that Adam and Eve tasted in the Garden of Eden – it is no coincidence that the ancient Greeks considered it a symbol of beauty and love. Quince is steamed, stewed with citrus fruits, deep-fried and sprinkled with honey – in many cuisines of Asia, this appetizer is served as a side dish for meat, fish, vegetables, pasta and cereals. For oriental housewives, there is no problem what to cook from quince, because they absorb recipes, one might say, with mother’s milk, especially since cooking quince at home is a visiting card of any Asian family. Asians add ginger and coriander to spicy quince mustard, and they don’t start a meal without it, preferring fragrant quince jam or cheese, which is condensed fruit juice with pulp, to all desserts. Cooked quince dishes are much tastier than raw fruit, as the quince becomes soft, transparent and very appetizing – this can be seen in the photographs sent in by readers. And there is jam, jam, marmalade and hundreds of different pies with delicious quince filling! how to cook quince and surprise your guests with Hungarian quince pie, chicken sausage with quince and apples, turkey cutlets with quince in saffron sauce, quince charlotte with nuts, cranberry beef stewed in beer with quince, elk with quince and carrots and quince soup-puree with smoked brisket. Try drinking tea with quince pieces for flavor – they say it is very invigorating!