Medlar (Mespilus germanica)

OriginThe fruit from the monastery gardens

The name germanica This is misleading: The medlar does not originate from Germania, but from the Caucasus and northern Iran.

The common medlar grows wild from the Balkans through Asia Minor and Crimea to the Caucasus and northern Iran. Greeks and Romans cultivated it. In the Middle Ages, it was found in almost every monastery and farm garden because it ripens in winter when hardly any other fruit is available. The nun and naturalist Hildegard von Bingen wrote that its fruit was "good for healthy and sick people.".

From the 17th century onward, apples, pears, and other citrus fruits displaced the medlar. Chaucer and Shakespeare used it as a metaphor for overripeness. A medlar blossom even adorns the coats of arms of Lower Rhine cities like Geldern and Viersen.

To useWhat the medlar can do for you

The ripe, soft medlar is primarily a Fiber-rich fruit: Its meat is rich in pectin and insoluble fibers that form the stool, provide long-lasting satiety, and are fermented by the intestinal flora. In addition, there are... potassium, some calcium, magnesium and iron, organic acids such as malic acid and plenty Polyphenols - Tannins, phenolic acids and flavonoids.

What's special about this is that Becoming doughy, in English "bletting": After frost or several weeks of cool storage, enzymes break down the hard cell walls and part of the tannins The starch and acid are converted into sugar. The fruit loses its astringent taste and becomes mild. In folk medicine, it was considered a remedy for diarrhea due to its tannins.

Laboratory studies show antioxidant, antibacterial, and blood sugar-lowering effects for medlar extracts. However, there are virtually no studies on humans. And contrary to what is often stated, the medlar is not a source of vitamin COnly about 8 mg per 100 g were measured in ripe fruit, less than in an apple. It is a valuable winter fruit – nothing more.

IngredientsThis is what's inside the medlar

The medlar contains fructose, glucose and sucrose, organic acids (especially malic acid, as well as citric and quinic acid), pectin and other dietary fiber, tannins, phenolic acids such as chlorogenic acid, flavonoids such as catechin, epicatechin and quercetin glycosides, carotenoids as well as potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and iron.

Hard fruits are rich in tannins and acid, while softer, more doughy ones are sweeter and milder. Like many members of the rose family, the large, hard seeds contain cyanogenic glycosides – these are not eaten.

Enhanced combinationsWhat makes the medlar stronger

The medlar brings pectin and bitterness - it needs partners with fragrance and acidity.

What contradicts itselfIt's best to avoid these combinations.

In the kitchenWhere she belongs

• Medlar jellyWith apples and a little lemon.
• Medlar jamStrained through a sieve, with cinnamon.
• Eaten straight from the spoonBreak open the doughy fruit and suck out the pulp.
• Medlar chutneyWith onion, ginger, and vinegar.
• Medlar breadFruit paste like quince paste.
• Wild fruit jamWith pear or quince.
• with the cheeseJelly with mountain cheese or goat cheese.
• Fruit breadMedlar pulp instead of dried fruit.
• Medlar liqueurTraditionally made with grain.
• Wild sauceA spoonful of jelly with venison or mushrooms.

As a home remedyMedlar puree for a calm stomach

Ayurveda & TCMWhat the old systems say

Warning noticesWhen you should be careful

This page provides information and does not replace medical advice. If symptoms persist, please consult a doctor.

Related to the topicRead on and cook along!

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