A long time ago there were two sisters who lived happily at their parent’s house in Lebanon. The younger one liked to cook and the older one with the sweet tooth liked to bake. At that time they were in their late teens. It was a happy time during one of the peace breaks during a long war. Their mother was away visiting their brothers who were studying in the United States. That fall they decided to make candied quince, maybe because they missed their mother or maybe because they liked the idea and the adventure. The two girls consulted with their aunt who lived two floors above in the same building. They bought quince from the vendor across the street who displayed his produce very nicely in front of his store. He always wore a white lab coat and spent the day proudly polishing his fruit - they didn’t use wax back then to have fruit that shines.
The two sisters peeled, cored and sliced the golden fragrant fruit. They cooked it in sugar syrup just the way their aunt taught them to. They cooked and cooked until it was ready…….But the candied fruit did not turn ruby red like the quince their mom made……What to do, what to do?? Food coloring!!!
They added one drop, two drops….Mixed, not the right color either…..One drop, two drops, three drops….Mixed again…That is the right color….Ruby, translucent jewels…. They cheated but they were very proud….Then their aunt came to check on them, they showed off the fruit of their labor. Their aunt was very surprised at the result for she had never made quince jam with such a beautiful color. The sisters kept the secret and only shared it with their mom when she came back from her trip…..
The two girls in the story were my sister and I and the mother, our very own.
This past summer my sister and I recalled the story over a glass of our mother’s famous fresh lemonade and when she came out attracted by our giggles, we shared it with her and then with my nieces who wanted to know why all the laughter……
Today I made candied quince and quince jelly……I had a smile on my face all day recalling the time a long time ago when my sister and I decided to candy some quince…..
The two sisters peeled, cored and sliced the golden fragrant fruit. They cooked it in sugar syrup just the way their aunt taught them to. They cooked and cooked until it was ready…….But the candied fruit did not turn ruby red like the quince their mom made……What to do, what to do?? Food coloring!!!
They added one drop, two drops….Mixed, not the right color either…..One drop, two drops, three drops….Mixed again…That is the right color….Ruby, translucent jewels…. They cheated but they were very proud….Then their aunt came to check on them, they showed off the fruit of their labor. Their aunt was very surprised at the result for she had never made quince jam with such a beautiful color. The sisters kept the secret and only shared it with their mom when she came back from her trip…..
The two girls in the story were my sister and I and the mother, our very own.
This past summer my sister and I recalled the story over a glass of our mother’s famous fresh lemonade and when she came out attracted by our giggles, we shared it with her and then with my nieces who wanted to know why all the laughter……
Today I made candied quince and quince jelly……I had a smile on my face all day recalling the time a long time ago when my sister and I decided to candy some quince…..
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