{"id":41696,"date":"2025-01-22T19:32:26","date_gmt":"2025-01-22T19:32:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/recipes\/category-a-b\/baking-category-a-b\/dulce-de-membrillo-spanish-quince-paste\/"},"modified":"2025-01-22T19:32:26","modified_gmt":"2025-01-22T19:32:26","slug":"dulce-de-membrillo-spanish-quince-paste","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=41696","title":{"rendered":"Dulce de Membrillo: Spanish Quince Paste"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are our own. This post contains affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something we may earn a commission at no cost to you.<\/em><\/p>\n

I first had membrillo at my homestay my first year in Barcelona, served after dinner with slices of Manchego cheese and long conversations practicing Spanish. Quince\u2019s sweet-tart floral flavor paired so well with the nutty cheese.<\/p>\n

I took it for granted in Spain, where it\u2019s cheap and easily found. In London, and now in the States, it\u2019s a specialty item<\/a> and much more expensive than I\u2019m used to. So, when I saw some fresh quince at the store, I had to try making it myself.<\/p>\n

This recipe is a little different from how dulce de membrillo is usually shaped and served. Typically, the quince is pur\u00e9ed and allowed to set in a mold so it can be sliced. I skip pur\u00e9eing the stewed quince, transfer it into jars, and serve it more like preserves or marmalade.<\/p>\n

\n

What is Membrillo?<\/h2>\n

Dulce de membrillo, or quince paste, is made from stewing quince with sugar. It\u2019s sweet, tart, fruity, and beautifully floral. The tough quince breaks down and softens after cooking, and the sugar tames the bitter edge of the raw fruit. Quince is high in pectin, which gels and turns it into a thick marmalade or sliceable block, perfect for a cheeseboard.<\/p>\n

\n

The History of Membrillo<\/h2>\n

My love for membrillo started in Catalu\u00f1a, where it\u2019s known as codonyat. It\u2019s eaten not just in Spain, but across much of the Mediterranean. It\u2019s also popular in Brazil and Latin America since it was brought there by the Portuguese and Spanish.<\/p>\n

While we now use the term for many fruit spreads, the word marmalade comes from the Portuguese word marmelada, meaning quince preparation. But membrillo goes back even further than the Portuguese\u2014the first written mention of quince paste appears in a Roman cookbook of Apicius from the 5th<\/sup>\u00a0century AD, where it\u2019s cooked with honey.<\/p>\n

If we go even further back, quince was associated with the Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite. Considering quince\u2019s presence in Greek mythology and the fruit\u2019s origins near the Caspian Sea, it\u2019s likely that quince paste dates back to ancient times in Mesopotamia.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n

What is Quince?<\/h2>\n

Quince looks like a large pear or apple, and as a member of the Rosaceae family, is related to both. The fruit likely originates in the areas surrounding the Caspian Sea and today, Turkey produces the most quince.<\/p>\n

Quince is usually green or gold with straw-colored flesh. It\u2019s not good to eat raw, and even when it\u2019s ripe, the fruit is hard, fibrous, and bitter. But when it\u2019s cooked, it softens and turns a beautiful sunset orange-pink with an irresistible floral aroma.<\/p>\n

Tips for Making Membrillo<\/h2>\n