Medlars

Unlike most fruit, medlars are usually left to soften and brown after picking, a process called bletting. They are ready when the flesh is very soft and brown, with a sweet, tangy flavour; firm, pale flesh is harsh and astringent.

Spread unblemished medlars in a single layer on a tray, with their blossom ends facing down, and keep them somewhere cool and airy. Check them regularly; they are ready when they have softened and browned, which can take several weeks.

Cut or gently squeeze the fruit and scoop out the soft brown flesh, avoiding the large seeds and tough skin. A little lemon juice or sugar can balance its tangy, apple-like flavour.

Keep them in a single layer in a cool, dry, well-ventilated place, rather than piled in a bowl where bruised fruit can spoil. Once soft and ripe, refrigerate them and use them promptly.

Bletted medlars are often cooked into jelly, jam or cheese, and their tangy pulp also works in chutney. For jelly, simmer the fruit with water until it collapses, then strain the pulp through a cloth before adding sugar and boiling to set.

You can, but firm medlars are very astringent and unpleasantly puckering. Wait until the skin and flesh have browned and the fruit feels soft.

No. Medlars are eaten after bletting and have a distinctive soft, brown pulp; loquats are eaten fresh when ripe, with juicy orange flesh. Loquats have 28 kcal per 100 g, compared with 42 kcal in medlars.

The name refers to the large, open-looking calyx at the blossom end, which can resemble a backside. The botanical name is Mespilus germanica, though the tree is native to south-west Asia and south-eastern Europe.