Quince
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Can someone please tell me where I can find quince. I have asked my greengrocer but he said he cannot find any anywhere and asking around no one seems to know what they are.
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I have never seen quince sold at supermarkets or by greengrocers. And yes, you're right, nobody seems to know what they are. I can't even find the correct Maltese name for this fruit/tree - people have told me all sorts of names, but I suspect that the identity of the fruit is wrong - you know, just like karfus is wrongly identified as celery, and loquats are wrongly called medlars and gidra is wrongly called turnip. This is all very mysterious as the quince is a staple of Middle Eastern and Iberian cookery, and is used for jams and preserves in England. It is well known in most parts of the Mediterranean, so I can't understand why Malta 'missed out', or maybe it's just been forgotten. The tree does well in our climate, so if you have a bit of soil and some sun, you could grow one. Rough 'Maltese' apples make a passable substitute for quince in Middle Eastern dishes.