DISCOVERING NEW (or ancient) FRUITS
Something new to meddle with -
"A fruit, vulgarly called an open arse; of which it is more truly than delicately said, that it is never ripe till it is as rotten as a turd, and then it is not worth a fart." 18Century Anon
Welcome to the world of Medlars!
European Medlars
A friend has provided us with some medlars from a local tree
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Medlar tree, Hove
|
The Common or European Medlar has
been around for centuries and appears to have been popular in England before
sugar was available. The fruits are hard
and sour and do not ripen on the tree and cannot be eaten straight from
picking.
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| Freshly picked medlars |
They need to be “bletted” i.e.
stored in a cool dark place until they begin to go soft and brown or just
beginning to decay when the flesh becomes sweet and can be spooned out. They are suitable for making making
jam or jelly – but still require bletting first.
Although called the European Medlar (its botanical name being Mespilus germanica i.e. German Medlar), it appears to have come originally from Persia and according to the Royal Horticultural Society there are several varieties available in the UK.
The French call the medlar cul du chien (translation: dog’s
arse)
.
Shakespeare called the fruits “open-arse” which, I am informed*, could have referred not to an arse but rather female genitalia - which makes more sense when reading Mercutio's misogynistic remarks in Romeo and Juliet regarding Rosaline's "quivering thigh
And the demesnes that there adjacent lie"
Mercutio goes on to say:
If love be blind, love cannot hit the mark.
Now will he sit under a medlar tree
And wish his mistress were that kind of fruit
As maids call medlars, when they laugh alone.—
O Romeo, that she were, O, that she were
An open-arse, thou a pop'rin pear.
I don't recall any of that from my English Literature O Level! (for any younger readers, O Levels were what is now known as GCSE - but harder!!!!).
D H Lawrence described
medlars as "autumnal excrementa".
I posted the D H Lawrence poem ("Medlars and Sorb-Apples”) on Facebook – it
goes on for several stanzas - and it drew this response from my daughter, Zoë,
“Blimey! Bit deep for a fruit” –
Here’s an excerpt
"Delicious rottenness.
I love to suck you out from your skins
So brown and soft and coming suave....."
- So
here’s this fruit which the French thinks looks like a dog’s arse, Shakespeare likens to a vagina, Lawrence calls it excrement which can’t be eaten until it’s
rotting – little wonder that it has fallen out of fashion!
But, nevertheless, D H Lawrence
loved them and others say they’re delicious, So, as mine were bletting nicely....
 |
| bletted medlars |
...we tried one -
It didn't look too appetising -
It was soft and squishy and could be spooned out. It was quite good, however, with a taste of apple and date, sweetish but also with a tart aftertaste. I had some spread on toast - quite nice actually.
I decided to try making medlar jelly which
is particularly recommended by Nigel
Slater as an accompanient to roast pheasant or other meat. Here's my recipe for Medlar Jelly
In Spain we discovered a different sort of medlar......
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| Japanese medlar |
Japanese Medlars
In May 2012, whilst driving to visit the waterfalls north of Alicante at Las Fuentes de l'Algar (Les Fonts de l'Algar in the local Valencian language), we drove past fields of
cultivated fruit trees laden with yellowish orange coloured fruits which from a
distance looked like apricots but it was rather
early for apricots and the leaves on the trees didn't look quite right for apricots, as this library picture shows.
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| Nisperos |
On arrival at the waterfall we soon learned what they were called
because they were present in large numbers in every food shop. They were on sale fresh as well as in cans and bottles and on the menu
in every restaurant - they were Nisperos!
Although we now knew the Spanish name we were none the wiser
until we were served them for dessert and tasted them. They had a curious sweet and sour taste, a mixture of apple, citrus and peach, someone thought mango.
We bought some to take home
Subsequent
Googling revealed that the Nispero is known in English as the Asian
or Japanese Medlar (although it probably originates from eastern China from where it spread to
Japan).
Apparently it was introduced to Spain by sailors arriving in Valencia
around two thousand years ago but was not much cultivated until the 19th
century when it became popular around the Mediterranean. It is known in some
countries as the loquat . It is suited to the same climate as orange and other
citrus trees, so Spain seems an obvious place for it to grow and Spain is now the main producer
of nisperos in Europe. The nispero is in the same family as the common European medlar,
but a distant relative.
It is yellow or apricot coloured on the
outside with soft, creamy yellow flesh with two to four large seeds in the centre.
The skin is edible, although in Spain many people peel off the skin; but the
seeds, like the apricot kernel, are poisonous as they contain quantities of
cyanide compounds.
Unlike the European common medlar, it ripens
on the tree and does not keep well so needs to be eaten soon after picking. It is at its sweetest when fully ripe.
Because the seeds have
cyanide compounds they cannot be eaten and most recipes that I have seen say they should
be removed before using the fruits in cooking, although I have seen a few recipes which say the seeds can be tied in muslin and boiled with the flesh for jam
and jelly making. In Italy the seeds are used for making nespolino liqueur . There appear to be many varieties, with some containing less cyanide compounds than others. The fruit
itself has a high pectin content which makes it suitable for jam or jelly
making without using the seeds. If I do get round to any jam
making in Spain, I think I will err on the side of caution and remove the seeds!
Apart from helping jam to
set, the pectin in medlars is also a rich source of dietary fibre, and very good for gut health.
The Basque co-operative
supermarket, Eroski, has a food website which says the Nispero fruit is very
beneficial for health because of its high pectin content as the fibre retains water and
“swells in the stomach forming a gel, which
reduces the speed of gastric emptying and produces a satiety sensation, very
useful for people who follow slimming diets. A pectin is attributed
beneficial effects in case of diarrhoea because it slows down the intestinal
transit, by retaining water. To this is added the richness in medlar
tannins (more abundant in its juice), substances with astringent and
anti-inflammatory properties. Tannins dry and deflate the intestinal
mucosa (layer that lines the inside of the digestive tract)
“On the other hand, the pectin increases the pH
(decreases the acidity) when the acid is well mixed and neutralized with food
and the fibre itself, so the consumption of ripe medlars is indicated in case
of gastrointestinal disorders (delicate stomach, gastritis , gastroduodenal
ulcer, etc.) To the richness in pectin, citric, tartaric and malic acids
are abundant in their pulp, which exert regulating and toning actions on the
mucous membranes. Also, fibre helps reduce blood cholesterol levels and
good control of blood glucose (blood sugar levels), so the consumption of
medlars is beneficial in case of hypercholesterolemia and diabetes.”
According to
Eroski, the Nispero is also a source of beta-carotene, an antioxidant which may
help reduce the risk of degenerative diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases
and, given its high content of potassium and organic acids, is a good diuretic,
increasing the production of urine facilitating the removal of grit and uric
acid from the kidneys. It is recommended in case of gout, excess of uric
acid, uric acid stones, and hypertension.
So apart from the
cyanide, it seems a good fruit to eat!
Despite Fonts de l’Algar being a
major tourist attraction, and only 15km inland from Benidorm (that most
British of Spanish seaside resorts), we heard very few English voices, most of the visitors being Spanish. The nearest town is Callosa d'en Sarrià, which gives its name to the surrounding area renowned for the quality of
its Nisperos, such that, like wines, they have their own protected DO (Denominacion de Origine) “Nisperos Callosa d’En Sarrià’’ and
regulatory body http://nispero.com/
But you don't have to go to Spain to taste them as Nisperos are now available in England for a short period in the season. Waitrose sell them. In Spain they
are sold by the kilo; Waitrose
sell nisperos in packs of 6, describing them as having a “sweet flavour which is like a mixture of apricots, apples and
plums”. Waitrose
advise that they can be eaten raw but warns that the hard brown seeds and the
membrane surrounding them should be discarded. They add that “They are particularly good for making into
jams, jellies and relishes; if the seeds are included during cooking they will
impart an almond-like flavour”. Well that will be the cyanide! You can decide for yourself whether you want the almond flavour. Watch this space for a future recipe!
John Austin
Hove, November 2018
*Shmoop Editorial Team. (2008, November 11). Romeo and Juliet Sex Quotes from https://www.shmoop.com/romeo-and-juliet/sex-quotes-5.html
