Fragrant quince flowers, such as these, are beautifying the neighborhood now. These ancient blooms and their cousins, the gold, apple-like quince fruits, are part of the rose family and have an ancient and noble heritage.
In Greek and Roman times, quince flowers and fruit reportedly were the love goddess Aphroditte’s sacred symbols of love, passion and fertility. They were used to decorate weddings, and the bride often was expected to taste of the fruit to sweeten her breath and bless the marriage before she entered the bridal bed with the groom, according to the literature.
I love the flowers. As for the raw fruit, I pity those brides if that’s the way they sweetened their breath. A raw quince “golden apple” is so tart that some garden enthusiasts recommend that it not be tasted by humans.
But I hear that there are ways of cooking the fruit to make it a delicious topping for breakfast cereals and pancakes or waffles, a tangy-sweet relish for meats and fowl, and a dessert enhancer, especially with cream, ice cream and pastry.
(Images taken in Brooklin, Maine, on May 21, 2026.)