Here quince grows wild in the hedges. In portuguese they are called marmelos which is where marmelade comes from, though it is generally made with oranges. Graça explained while twisting the fingers of her two hands together that it also means what two people do when they are in bed together. There seem to be a million different family recipes. The quality is judged by its transparency.It can vary in colour from red to yellow
Certain portuguese spend most of September filtering, cleaning, skimming and shining their quince jelly.
Here is Graças recipe for quick quince jelly – (marmalada rapida).
In a pressure cooker put 1 kg of sugar, 1.2kg of peeled, seeded and sliced quince and 10cl of water. Close the pressure cooker. Let it simmer (low heat) for 30 minutes once it has reached its pressure point. After its cooked, blend and put in jars or shallow bowls.
According to Graça it keeps for a year, though its generally gone long before.It is quite a solid jelly and can even be sliced. Here is often eaten with cheese.
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