Fruit
Mespilus germanica
S tier
Mespilus germanica is medlar—the small brown rosaceous fruit that must blett (soften past normal ripeness) until flesh turns brown, spicy-apple-butter soft, and scoopable. Hard fruit is astringent and inedible. Open calyx end earned medieval nicknames; flavour is winey, apple-date-cinnamon when ready. Harvest hard after leaf fall, blett indoors on trays, then spoon. Jam and “medlar cheese” preserves are traditional. Trees are beautiful in blossom; fruit is a slow food curiosity revived by heritage growers. Do not eat crunchy-unbletted.
Track this ingredient
Characteristics
Preparations
Traits
History
Medlar spread from western Asia/Europe as a classical and medieval fruit.
Medieval European gardens prized medlar for winter bletted fruit.
Medlar declined as modern soft fruit outcompeted its odd ripening.
Heritage orchards revived medlar as a curiosity dessert fruit.