Almost Wordless Wednesday: Cotogne
Wednesday November 11, 2009
The word Cotogna (pronounced cotonia) translates as quince, though it's not quite that easy in Italian markets. In Tuscany quinces of the sort pictured here can be labeled either Pera Cotogna or Mela Cotogna (Pear-Quince & Apple-Quince, respectively), and you may find one term used in one stand at a market, and the other at another.
To further confuse matters, in Tuscany the word Cotogna is also applied to an end-of-season clingstone peach, the Pesca Cotogna, which is as delicious as it is lumpy and ugly. And is therefore eagerly sought out by those who care more about flavor than appearance. Also, I have seen truly ugly apples (not quinces) labeled Mele Cotogne. More than once. As I said, there is some confusion.
True quinces, however, are not particularly tasty as is: They are hard, astringent, and sour. On the other hand, when cooked they make fine jams, and Artusi has a couple of suggestions:
- Conserva Liquida Di Cotogne: This is a runny quince jam.
- Conserva Soda Di Cotogne: This is a much firmer quince jam.
Comments
These kinds of language problems around fruits and veggies happen to me in Italy all the time. My Italian relatives are planning to make Thanksgiving dinner in Italy, and they were trying to track down cranberries. I had no idea that the word for blueberry – mirtillo – is the same for cranberry in Italy. You just say mirtillo rosso. Wild!
I wouldn’t have guessed mirtillo rosso, because I’ve never come across cranberries in Italy. One of our supermarkets does occasionally have cranberry juice, which they label as American. Likewise, once in a long while you see cranberry sauce. But most Italians (at least Tuscans) have no experience with it.
On my website is a great recipe for baked quince, and let’s not forget cotognata, quince paste, which is a very popular preserve made mainly in Sicily and Puglia — a specialty of both Siracusa and Lecce.
Ciao Arthur,
Thanks for the suggestions! I’ll come look.
Arthur adding the pips is not an old wives tale, it actually helps to thicken the syrup. We cook them on the hob with sugar, cloves and cinnamon sticks and have yhem as a dessert. We do they same with baby sweet potatoes and then serve a helping of each on the same plate for a contrast of flavours
I add a peeled and diced quince or two to my peeled and diced apples when I make apple sauce. The mashed combination of apple and quince has an unusual and intriguing aroma. The color of the applesauce is pinker and the added quince flavor mellows the tartness of the apples.