Quince: useful properties, recipes
Quince is a fragrant fruit with a yellow skin, round and pear-shaped, with firm and sour flesh. The high content of pectin substances is useful for people whose activities are related to hazardous production, living in areas of increased environmental hazard. Jam, preserves and quince jams have medicinal properties for inflammatory bowel diseases. Quince fruits ripen in October. It is recommended to collect them before the onset of autumn frosts. With proper storage, quince fruits can be consumed until early April.
Content:
- Composition and calorie content
- Useful properties of quince
The use of quince for various diseases
Quince in cosmetology
Traditional medicine recipes with quince
Quince Seed Recipes
- How to choose the right quince?
How is quince eaten?
- How to cook quince?
- Quince with honey
- The benefits of quince juice
How much and how to store quince?
Winter storage
Quince varieties (with photo)
- Japonica
- Chinese quince
- How to dry quince correctly?
- Quince contraindications
Composition and calorie content
The characteristics of the chemical composition of quince fruits largely depend on the variety and place of growth of the plant. But their main useful property is considered to be high nutritional value. This is due to the fact that the ripe fruits of the plant contain a large percentage of fructose and other useful sugars, tannins, essential oils, vitamins, citric and malic acids. The peel of the fruit contains ethyl esters, which give the quince a specific peculiar aroma.
The juice was found to contain gum, sugar, ascorbic and malic acid. The seeds are rich in mucus, starch, amygdalin glycoside, tannins and fatty oil, which in turn contains isoleic and myristic acid glycerides.
- Fats: 0.5 g
- Proteins: 0.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 13.2 g
- Water: 84.9 g
- Ash: 0.8 g
- Cellulose: 3.6 g
Vitamins (per 100 g): |
amount |
% RDA |
| Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) | 15-23 mg | 21% |
| Vitamin B4 (choline) | 8.7 mg | 17% |
Minerals (in 100 g): |
amount |
% RDA |
| Boron | 174.4 μg | 249% |
| Rubidium | 44-63 mcg | 55% |
| Vanadium | 20 mcg | 50% |
| Chromium | 19.5 mcg | 39% |
| Cobalt | 2.9-3.6 mcg | 33% |
| Strontium | 171.2 μg | 21.4% |
| Silicon | 3.4-7.4 mg | 18% |
| Iron | 0.7-3 mg | 17% |
| Copper | 130-230 mcg | sixteen% |
| Iodine | 9.7 mcg | ten% |
Other important connections:
- Phytosterols - 3.78 mg (6.9% of the RDI)
- Purines - 6 mg (5% of the RDI)
Complete chemical composition ➤
Useful properties of quince
Quince can be classified as a medicinal plant. Medicinal properties are possessed not only by the fresh fruits of the plant, rich in iron, but also by the seeds collected during the processing of the fruits. For medicinal use, seeds are dried at a temperature not exceeding 50 ° C.
A large amount of tannins and mucous substances that quince seeds contain determines their medicinal properties. So, in folk medicine, decoctions are prepared from seeds, taken as a mild laxative or enveloping agent. The use of a decoction for respiratory diseases to reduce cough has a good effect. The enveloping properties of the decoction in the form of lotions help with eye diseases. Also, the broth is recommended for use as a cosmetic product that softens the skin.
Since ancient times, quince has been used to reduce the symptoms of periodontal disease and relieve pain in hemorrhoids in the form of lotions and compresses based on quince juice.
Fresh fruits of quince are used for anemia and as a choleretic agent. The use of a decoction from the leaves of the plant will help get rid of early gray hair.
Quince is a plant related to apples and pears, but due to its tart and astringent taste, it is rarely consumed raw. Dishes prepared from quince retain all its useful and medicinal properties. Quince fruit contains biologically active substances, of which a large amount of malic, citric and tartronic acids. There are also iron, zinc, phosphorus, copper, calcium, pectins. Bright yellow fruits give people vitamins C, E, B1, B2, B6, PP and provitamin A. The plant has antioxidant, antiviral properties.
The juice of ripe fruits has a tonic, diuretic effect. Also, the fruits are used as a fastening, hemostatic and antiemetic agent. Quince is a valuable food product due to the content of fructose, gum, ascorbic acid, starch, fatty oil amygdalin glycoside in it.
The use of quince for various diseases
The unique properties of quince allow it to be used as a means of reducing the negative effects on the body of viruses that cause influenza and various acute respiratory diseases. Juice and pulp, with regular use, have a positive effect on the body with high cholesterol levels in the blood, heal the stomach and eliminate vomiting. The beneficial effect of quince on the gastrointestinal tract, on the process of digesting food occurs due to the fiber contained in the fruits, this fruit can be safely included in the diet of people suffering from obesity.
The effect of the beneficial properties of quince is noted for disorders of the functions of the nervous system. Antioxidant substances perfectly cope with the recovery of the body after stress and nervous strain. After drinking quince juice, mood improves, and asthma patients get relief. Quince helps with diseases of the ears, in the form of lotions, its decoction and juice are used for prolapse of the rectum and cracks in the anus. It is indicated for tracheitis, gastroenteritis, spastic colitis and flatulence. Mashed fresh cooked fruits are used for liver diseases, juice is recommended for use in pulmonary tuberculosis.
Quince in cosmetology
The large amount of fruit acids contained in ripe and juicy fruits makes it possible to use the pulp of quince as a cosmetic mask. Such masks have antiseptic and drying properties, nourish the skin well. To prepare them, a small amount of chopped pulp is mixed with various ingredients, which can be vegetable oils, egg yolk, starch, oatmeal or ground cereals.
For oily, tired skin, or for teenage acne, the simplest mask will work. To prepare the mask, you need to grate the ripe quince fruit on a fine grater, and then apply the pulp in a thin layer on the face, leaving the areas around the eyes and lips open. The mask must be kept for no more than seven minutes, then rinsed with warm water.
Combination and normal skin requires the use of such a mask: finely grated pulp of one quince fruit is mixed with well-grated egg yolk and steamed oatmeal (to prepare flour, grind two tablespoons of oatmeal in a coffee grinder, then pour 50 ml of boiling water and let it steam well), is applied warm to the skin of the face and décolleté for no more than 10-15 minutes. Then the mask is washed off with warm water. The face needs to be slightly wet with a napkin several times. Never wipe with a towel.
A quince mask has an excellent effect, suitable for all skin types. To prepare it, you need to grate the pulp of the fruit, then mix it with a teaspoon of oatmeal (you can use rice, buckwheat or oat flour) and corn starch. The mixture must be thoroughly mixed and applied to the skin. Keep the mask for at least 20 minutes, then rinse with water at room temperature. After applying the mask, it is not recommended to go outside for one hour.
Quince pulp is recommended for the preparation of various peeling masses and scrubs. Thanks to the use of these products, dead skin particles are exfoliated, its appearance improves, blood circulation is restored, due to which the complexion becomes healthier and more attractive.
To prepare a scrub, it is necessary to grind the quince fruit together with the seeds, add a tablespoon of coarse salt, mix well and immediately apply with light massage movements on the skin of the face and décolleté. After three minutes, the scrub must be washed off, then the skin should be blotted with a napkin. After an hour, it is recommended to apply a thin layer of nourishing cream to the skin. Thanks to this scrub, the skin will become softer and softer, its condition and appearance will improve.
It is recommended to use quince fruit scrubs no more than once a week.
Quince pulp lotions have a good effect. In addition, they are free of harmful colorants, preservatives and flavorings.
Chicken yolk lotion is a good way to keep oily skin healthy. It will help cleanse the skin of oily shine and give it a velvety. To prepare such a lotion, you need to squeeze the juice from one fruit, add half a glass of purified medical alcohol and half a glass of camphor alcohol to it. Beat the yolk of one egg well, then very slowly introduce the prepared solution into it. Store the lotion in a cool, dark place.
You can prepare an infusion of quince, which will well cleanse the skin of the hands from impurities and grease, and nourish it. To do this, cut the medium-sized quince fruit into small pieces, removing the seeds and stalk. Then the quince needs to be poured with a glass of high-quality vodka. The tincture is kept in a cool, dark place for half a month, then filtered. After that, you need to add a tablespoon of glycerin to it.
Traditional medicine recipes with quince
Ripe quince fruits are used to prepare tinctures and extracts for the treatment of anemia and anemia. A decoction of seeds is used for eye diseases by applying tampons moistened with the decoction to sore eyes. A decoction of quince is recommended to be taken after sunstroke, with edema, dyspepsia. The leaves, bark of branches and young branches of quince are suitable for decoctions used in the treatment of diabetes and fever.
Mucous broths are obtained from quince, the enveloping properties of which protect the stomach from inflammatory processes, have a fastening effect in case of diarrhea and dysentery.
Recipe No. 1: 10 g of crushed seeds must be poured with a glass of boiling water, boiled in a water bath for a quarter of an hour, then cooled and thoroughly filtered. The broth should be taken in 100 ml 3 times a day before meals for gastrointestinal ailments and sore throat, dry cough, skin diseases and burns.
Recipe number 2: 5 grams of leaves need to be poured with 1 glass of hot water, boiled in a water bath for 15 minutes, cooled, filtered, squeezing out the raw materials, and add the evaporated water. It is recommended to take the composition 2 tablespoons before meals 3-4 times a day for inflammatory bowel and stomach diseases, during asthmatic attacks.
Recipe number 3: when coughing, sore throat, the quince fruit cut into small pieces should be poured with a glass of boiling water, leave for 30 minutes. You need to drink 1 tablespoon 3-4 times a day.
Recipe number 4: 10 g of quince seeds should be poured into 1 liter of cold water, insisted for 10 hours, strain and take 1 / 2-1 glass 3-4 times a day for colitis.
Recipe number 5: 1 tbsp. a spoonful of dry quince fruit partitions should be brewed with a glass of boiling water, insisted in a thermos for 3 hours, taken during the day for two tablespoons. The tool normalizes digestion, helps in the treatment of dysbiosis.
Recipe number 6: 1 tbsp. a spoonful of dried quince flowers is poured with a glass of boiling water, insisted for ten hours, taken with the addition of honey, 0.5 cups three times a day.
Recipe number 7: 2 fruits must be poured with three glasses of water, boil for 10 minutes on low heat, leave for an hour. It is recommended to take 0.5 cups 3 times a day before meals with edema and diarrhea.
Recipe number 8: 1 tbsp. pour a spoonful of leaves with a glass of boiling water, boil for 5-10 minutes, insist for an hour, then use against sweating feet.
Recipe number 9: peel the fruit, remove the core, cut into wedges, blanch for 15 minutes. Then the broth is drained, filtered and added to 1 kg of quince 0.5 kg of sugar. When the sugar melts, you need to throw boiled quince slices into the syrup and boil for 10 minutes, take two to three tablespoons 3 times a day with water.
Syrup recipe: quince cut into small pieces must be poured with water and cooked until soft, then squeeze out the juice and continue to cook until a thick liquid is obtained. A tasty and healthy syrup is indicated for anemia.
Quince Seed Recipes
Quince seeds, namely their white shell, containing mucous components, as well as fruits, is a valuable medicinal raw material. Decoctions from seeds alleviate the condition of women with heavy menstruation, stop uterine bleeding.
Recipe number 1: 8 pieces of seeds you need to pour 200 ml of boiling water and cook for 3 minutes. Drink the broth should be 0.5 cups 3 times a day.
When using a decoction of seeds, hemoptysis and uterine bleeding are eliminated.
Recipe No. 2: 5-10 grams of seeds must be boiled in 100 ml of water until mucus is formed. It is recommended to take 1 tablespoon 3-4 times a day.
Mucous decoctions from seeds are useful for treating inflammation of the eyes, sore throats, skin irritations, burns, as a laxative. Quince seeds are brewed like tea and drunk with a dry, debilitating cough. Healing infusions are also used, effectively curing various ailments.
Infusion of seeds: pour 1 tablespoon of seeds with one glass of water at room temperature and shake vigorously for a couple of minutes. Should be taken orally 1 tablespoon 3-4 times daily before meals.
How to choose the right quince?
To choose a juicy and fresh quince, you need to carefully examine it. Indicators of a quality product:
- Smooth and smooth surface, without spots or other visible defects.
- Bright yellow skin.
- Large or medium size. If the quince is small, it will be sour and dry.
The right fruit can be stored for a long time.
How is quince eaten?
Quince is eaten with pleasure; this is perhaps the only fruit that has a specific, very tart taste in its raw form. Because of the hard skin and high density of the flesh, quince is not eaten like, for example, apples. Delicious quince dishes are appreciated in the Apennines and Sardinia. Quince slices boiled in honey are tastier than any candied fruit and marmalade.
To replenish the body with vitamins, they take quince juice, it is easy to prepare it using a juicer. It must be remembered that quince contains tannins in large quantities, so its use should be moderate.
How to cook quince?
Quince fruits are firm with a sour taste. Boiled quince pleases with soft pulp, it is pinkish, sweet, with a granular texture, it tastes like a pear.
Before cooking, the fruits of the quince should be thoroughly cleaned of fluffy plaque, washed well, it may even be necessary to remove the skin in some cases. The fruits need to be cut in half, the core removed (partitions and seeds should be dried and used to prepare decoctions and infusions, and the cut skin is boiled in a small amount of sugar syrup, it becomes fragrant and can be added to any quince dishes).
In order for the fruit to become soft, the pieces are blanched in water for 25 minutes, the broth is drained, filtered, sugar is added (800 g per 3 cups of broth), brought to a boil, stirring occasionally. Remove the saucepan with syrup from heat, add ready-made quince pieces and leave to infuse for several hours. After a while, the syrup is boiled again, citric acid is added. With this cooking method, the slices become transparent, dense and very tasty.
Quince with honey
Quince fruits can diversify the daily diet of any person and be beneficial for various diseases. The combination of quince with honey allows you to get a special remedy.
Quince with honey recipe: every day you need to eat one quince fruit baked with honey 3 times a day or drink juice squeezed from three fruits, adding honey to taste. The combination of useful substances of quince and minerals and vitamins contained in honey is effective in treating anemia and diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Women's diseases are treated with honey and quince. Quince with honey has strong antimicrobial properties, improves immunity and normalizes metabolism.
It is useful to take honey with quince as a preventive measure, preventing many health problems. It is good to prescribe such a drug with a lack of iron, it will strengthen the body of expectant mothers, women in the postpartum period, and old people. People of mental and physical labor will replenish their body with vitamins and energy.
The benefits of quince juice
Quince juice is sweet and sour, has tonic and antiseptic properties. It is taken as a hemostatic, astringent and diuretic. It is a valuable source of vitamins and minerals. It is recommended to use it for anemia, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, asthma. Indications for juice treatment are gastrointestinal disorders.
A few grams of juice can eliminate vomiting, have a beneficial effect on the nervous system, the tasty liquid improves mood and relieves headaches. Condensed juice with pulp is popular among the peoples of Central Asia. In the process of evaporation of quince juice, a nutritious product is obtained - marmalade. 100 grams of juice contains 45 kcal, 0.5 grams of proteins, 10.6 grams of carbohydrates. This miraculous drink is rich in easily digestible sugars. It contains organic acids, tannins and essential oils.
How much and how to store quince?
The shelf life depends on the quince variety. It can be from 20 days to 4 months. The optimum storage temperature varies from 0 to +2 degrees, but can go up to +8 degrees. The higher it is, the faster the fruit will deteriorate. The Japanese quince has the longest shelf life.
Winter storage
Training. To prevent the quince from spoiling, it must be properly prepared. Before being sent for winter storage, the fruits are sorted out. They are not washed, it is enough to wipe each fruit with a dry cloth to remove dust and visible dirt.
- Waxing allows you to extend the shelf life of the quince. You can use vegetable oil instead. Before using the product for food, it must be washed.
- Wooden boxes can be used as containers. It is good if they are equipped with internal partitions that allow you to delimit fruits and not store them in a common heap. If there are no separate cells, you can sprinkle the fruits with sawdust. Foil or paper is also used as an isolate.
- The layered method of storing quince is popular, when the first row of fruits is laid out on the bottom of a box covered with paper. From above, the fruits are overlapped with another layer and the next row is made.
- During storage, the quince needs to be examined. If signs of damage are found on individual units, they are removed.
Storage conditions. Quince is a picky fruit, so it will not be difficult to keep it for the winter. To do this, it is enough to comply with only 3 conditions:
- Maintain the air temperature in the range from 0 to +2 degrees.
- The humidity should remain at 80%.
- The storage area should not be exposed to direct sunlight.
Unripe quince is stored especially for a long time. It is left at room temperature, protecting it from ultraviolet radiation and drafts. This will allow the fruit to ripen and develop evenly. Unripe fruits reach in 10-12 days. If you do not plan to immediately eat them, the fruits are transferred to the refrigerator.
You should not put an unripe quince in the refrigerator, as when the temperature drops, it will simply sour or begin to rot. Fruits will not pick up ripeness in such conditions.
Quince varieties
Many varieties of quince are registered in Russia, the best and most common of them are:
Oil early
Ahmed-Zhum
Muscat
Khorezm apple-shaped
In addition, a large number of different varieties are distinguished by good yields. For example, the Aurora variety is resistant to unfavorable climatic and environmental conditions, and is not susceptible to fungal diseases. Produces abundantly.
The French variety "Anzherskaya" has lemon-yellow fruits, which are used for processing and consumed fresh.
Quince "Golden" has large fruits with creamy, sweet-sour pulp. One tree produces 40 to 60 kg of fruit.
The amazing ability of the "Ilmennaya" variety to give a large yield is noted, a huge amount of sweet-sour, bright yellow fruits is obtained that are larger than average in size. There are stony particles in the pulp.
Variety "Kaunchi-10" is distinguished by large pear-shaped fruits with creamy pulp, they are juicy, sweet, they can be eaten raw.
Fruits of quince "Collective" are apple-shaped, bright yellow, with light yellow pulp of medium density with a high content of stony particles. High yield tree, frost and drought resistant.
Quince "Krasnoslobodskaya" has ribbed, bright yellow fruits similar in shape to apples. Their flesh is light yellow, medium density, juicy, with an incredible aroma.
The painstaking work of breeders makes it possible to enjoy different varieties, use them fresh and as an ingredient in dishes in cooking.
Golden
Ilmennaya
Kaunchi-10
Collective
Krasnoslobodskaya
Scythian gold
Japonica
There is a wonderful variety of quince - Japanese quince, or Henomeles Maulea. It reaches a height of two meters, in appearance it resembles a lemon tree. Japanese quince is an evergreen tree with red flowers and highly aromatic fruits. Because of the acids they contain (four times more than in common quince), the juice is recommended to be diluted with water or apple juice. A simple recipe for harvesting Japanese quince for future use has long been used, allowing you to enjoy its medicinal properties all year round.
Recipe for quince with sugar: the fruits should be washed well, peeled, chopped in a meat grinder and covered with sugar in a 1: 1 ratio. It is recommended to store the product in the refrigerator; it is necessary to take 1-2 teaspoons with a glass of water.
Chinese quince
Chinese quince differs in that, during the flowering period, flowers of a pale pink color appear on its branches, this distinguishes it from the Japanese quince. The plant has a high fruitiness with an incredibly rich aroma. A glass of fresh juice can be obtained from one fruit. Chinese quince is rich in vitamins, lots of nutrients. It is called the fruit of longevity.
The content of microelements and vitamins of groups A, B1, B2, C, E in the Chinese quince is high. The taste of the fruit is sour. This type of quince is useful for the treatment of the spleen, soothes and normalizes the liver and stomach. Fruit juice relieves spasms, eliminates severe pain in rheumatism, radiculitis, helps with edema in hypertension and pregnancy.
How to dry quince correctly?
If drying is planned, the fruits must be thoroughly washed, after which they proceed to the main procedure. Procedure:
- The fruit is cut into slices. The optimum drying thickness is 5 mm.
- The seeds and the box are removed, and they do the same with the darkened areas.
- Spread the slices on the grid of the electric dryer.
- Set the temperature to 75 degrees.
- Turn on the device for 3-5 hours.
If you want to get sweet dried fruits, boil the sliced slices in sugar syrup for 5 minutes. Do not boil too much. To prepare the syrup, take sugar and water in equal proportions. When the quince is boiled, the liquid is drained, and the slices are laid out on the grid of an electric dryer, on which the temperature is set at 50 degrees. The optimum drying time is 5 hours.
Dried quince is stored in cardboard boxes.
Drying in the oven. Quince is dried in the oven and even in the oven. The five-millimeter slices are laid out on a baking sheet and placed in an oven heated to 50 degrees. To prevent the temperature from rising higher, the door is not closed. Drying time is 5 hours or less.
If there is a wood-burning stove in the house, you can use it to dry the quince. The temperature should be kept within 45-50 degrees. The holding time of the product in the oven is 5-8 hours.
Quince contraindications
The use of quince is contraindicated in chronic constipation, pleurisy. Quince affects the vocal cords and larynx, so speakers and singers should treat this fruit with caution. Fluff on the surface of the fruit can cause allergies.
The author of the article: Kuzmina Vera Valerievna | Endocrinologist, nutritionist
Education: Diploma of the Russian State Medical University named after NI Pirogov with a degree in General Medicine (2004). Residency at Moscow State University of Medicine and Dentistry, diploma in Endocrinology (2006).
