MOOSH-moo-lay!

Bet most of you don’t know what these are, and I didn’t either before I came here. They’re medlars, locally called mušmule (MOOSH-moo-lay) and they grow on shrubs or small trees. They’re very hard and acidic and become edible after being softened by frost or in storage. Then the inside is reminiscent of apple sauce. They can then be eaten raw, or used to make jelly, wine, and medlar “cheese," similar to lemon curd. The medlar is native to Persia and was also grown by the ancient Greeks and Romans. Medlars were very popular during the Victorian era. Since it’s a fruit that is ‘rotten’ when it is ripe, the medlar was used figuratively in literature as a symbol of prostitution or premature destitution. One of Geoffrey Chaucer's characters laments his old age, comparing himself to the medlar. I never cared for them, but I tasted some of the ones I bought for this photo, and they're not bad after all.