Quince cheese

Quince cheese (also known as quince paste) is a sweet and tart, thick jelly made of the pulp of the quince fruit. It is a common confection in several countries.

In the Iberian Peninsula, this traditionally Mediterranean food is known by various names: ate, dulce de membrillo or carne de membrillo in Spanish; marmelada or doce de marmelo in Portuguese; marmelo in Galician; marmiellu in Asturian; irasagarra in Basque; and codonyat in Catalan. It is a firm, sticky, sweet reddish hard paste made from the quince fruit (Cydonia oblonga). Similar preparations are popular across different cultures, such as birsalmasajt in Hungary, kitnikez in Serbia, pâte de coing in French-speaking regions, Quittenpästli in Switzerland, and cotognata in Italy. It is also enjoyed in Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Chile as ate or dulce de membrillo, and known as machacado de membrillo in Peru, ממבריו (membrio) in Israel, ayva peltesi in Turkey, and marmeladă de gutui in Romania. Puente Genil, in Spain, is the main world producer, being the home of El Quijote, the most important global factory in terms of quince cheese production.

Quince cheese is also a traditional food in France, served during Christmas, and is a common food in Italy.