Are you looking for a simple and easy Croatian or Slovenian poppy seed roll recipe? You’ve come to the right place! Not only is this poppy seed roulade made the same way across the region – yes, homemade poppy seed strudel recipe is prepared the same way in Bosnia and Serbia too – but some consider it tastier than chocolate! In the region it goes by the name of makovnjača, potica and more…

BOSANSKI

WHAT IS A POPPY SEED ROLL (POPPY SEED STRUDEL)?

Poppy seed roll is probably the best known of all the strudels. Deservingly so.

(Strudel – you guessed it – is just a fancy word for a roll. So is roulade.)

So what is this amazing poppy seed pastry?

This poppy seed dessert is simply a roll filled with graphite gray, microscopic poppy seeds ground to flour consistency and then mixed with sugar, farina and milk (this filling tastes tart, gritty and sweet at the same time), encased in the softest dough.

The roll will imprint on your memory faster than cinabon did the first time you smelled it at an airport.

I forgot about this strudel for a while.  It was challengin getting ingredients in DC grocery stores as poppy seeds aren’t used much in American cuisine.

(You think I’m wrong? Try thinking of a poppy seed recipe other than the poppy seed bagel. If you can, please leave a comment! I love finding new poppy seed recipes.)

Meanwhile, Sarajevo bakeries bombarded (and spoiled) me with poppy seed infused and inspired desserts. So it never occurred to me to make the poppy seed strudel at home.

(Besides, my fridge – and I bet yours is the same – currently has at least a few preserves. Each time I think about making a pastry with a filling I feel a pinch of guilt for letting the jams just sit there, waiting to be consumed.)

But make it we did (Aleksandra did most of the experimenting for this one, with a huge tip from our cousin Anela), and you’re going to love the result!

IS POPPY SEED ROLL (MAKOVNJAČA) THE SAME AS SLOVENIAN POTICA?

• If you’re wondering if this is the recipe for a Slovenian poppy seed roll, the answer is a resounding yes! Strudels, like many pastries, are made the same or very similar across the Balkan region.
• What’s the difference, for example, between the Croatian and Slovenian poppy seed rolls? The main difference is in the name. In Bosnia and Serbia this roll usually goes by makovnjača, while in Slovenia it is known as potica. In Croatia this pastry is sometimes called povitica. Don’t be surprised to see the names used interchangeably. Also, you will encounter differences in shape. Potica dough tends to be thinner, almost pita-like, and once rolled up it is sometimes baked in a bundt cake pan.

POPPY SEED ROLL (STRUDEL) IN BALKAN CUISINE

It’s believed that strudel made its way into the Balkans during the Austria-Hungary period.

In fact many, many Balkan desserts and pastries (think amazing Slovenian tortes and cakes), are Austrian (and Hungarian) in origin. Yet, according to some Austrian sources, the roll may actually be a Turkish sweet.

It may have even been considered to be baklava’s younger sister.  

When is the poppy seed roll made?

There isn’t a particular holiday associated with this roll.

Poppy seed roll is an all-year round pastry. You can make them for the holidays, for the weekend, for today or for tomorrow. If I’m to pick a season, it really hits the spot during cold winter months.

It’s just the right pastry to accompany your coffee during snowy mornings when you’d rather snuggle up inside than hit Starbucks.

WALNUT ROLL AND POPPY SEED ROLL

In the Balkans poppy seed roll is almost always made together with the walnut roll.

Why?

Preference and convenience.

Within each family some like the poppy strudel while others like the walnut one.

As poppy seed roll dough is exactly the same as the walnut roll dough (the only difference is in the filling), it’s easy to double it up and have two different kinds in one bake.

Don’t worry, walnut roll recipe is coming to BLB soon!

A COUPLE OF POPPY SEED WARNINGS

• If you’re nursing skip poppy seeds and make the walnut roll instead. There is a component in poppy seeds that causes colic (cramps) in babies. (I learned this the hard way.)

• If you’re required to do a drug test for work make sure not to eat poppy seed strudel around testing time. Elaine anyone? Poppy seeds may contain extracts of morphine and opium as those are made from unripe poppy seed capsules.

POPPY SEED ROLL (STRUDEL) DOUGH

Here are some examples of dough that we usually make on BLB, and also our recommended dough for the poppy seed roll.

• NATURAL WATER BASED DOUGH: Thin, flaky dough used for pitas is usually made with warm water and a little bit of oil. It rests – breathes – for a little while before you stretch it to the stars. Lately I’ve seen a trend in poppy seed strudels made with flaky, phyllo dough also.  What’s great about this dough is you can leave it in the fridge for a while, and work it later. Some even say it’s better this way.
• CARBONATED WATER BASED DOUGH: Chicken pie is often made with carbonated (sparkling) water. As the type of dough is almost like the pancake batter, sparkling water gives it a slightly lighter texture.
• YOGURT BASED DOUGH: This type of dough is generally great for anything fried like fried mini breads. Yogurt softens the dough and along with baking powder helps it expand in hot oil. Quick tip: closest in consistency to European/ Balkan yogurt isn’t Greek yogurt, but buttermilk. (Buttermilk and yogurt are great for using with eggs for breading too.)  
• MILK BASED DOUGH: Milk is pure perfection for dough making. Milk makes it softer, easier to stretch, fold and maneuver. Final baked pastry is soft and fluffy. We exclusively made this type of dough for our strudels in the past. The problem with milk is longevity however. Whatever pastry you make with milk is best eaten right away, otherwise pastries harden and dry out.

So what type of dough is best to use to make a poppy seed roll?  The answer will surprise you… it’s the simplest water based dough.

The idea for the dough actually came from our cousin Anela.

Anela loves to experiment until she gets a recipe just right. Especially sweets. Her strudel is the best in our family, and it’s hard to only eat one piece. We were surprised to find out she used water instead of milk for rolls.

However once we tried making water based dough for strudel we were hooked.

POPPY SEED ROLL (STRUDEL) FILLING

Too much of a good thing does not equal better in the case of the poppy seed strudel filling.

The trend I see on YouTube is the excessive use of it. There is a food porn effect with enormous globs of poppy filling enwrapped in a tiny bit of crust. But the taste is all wrong.

Poppy seed roll is best when there is a nice ratio between the dough and the filling.

The charm of a poppy seed is the strength of its taste, and that strength is best when it’s in small doses. Otherwise you might as well make yourself a bowl of poppy seeds and eat them like cereal.

Under-filled rolls are equally sad.

They’re like burek with too little meat. As our mom is fond of saying, these are the kind of pies where you “run, run and maybe you’ll get a little bit of filling.”

(Everyone has a cousin that skimps on the filling. Don’t be that cousin.)

I love the taste of poppy. It’s smooth, rich, moist.  Combined with a good pastry, it’s better than chocolate.

I love when a little of it drips on my chin and I wipe it with the back of my hand (and then lick the hand :)). At the same time, I don’t want the dough part to be excluded.

So repeat after me:

• a good poppy seed roll requires perfect grit with perfect sweet.

WHAT KIND OF POPPY SEEDS TO LOOK FOR

For our poppy seed roll recipe use already ground poppy seeds.

If the type you have in your grocery store isn’t in flour form use a coffee bean grinder to get it down to flour consistency in small batches. A food processor isn’t your friend here; you need something designed for tiny seeds.

In fact, it’s best to buy non-ground seeds and then ground them at home. The flavor is at its best intensity this way.

What happens if you don’t grind the poppies down? They’ll be too gritty and the poppy seed roll bitter no matter how much sugar you add. Grounding the seeds allows them to express the intensity of their taste while allowing them to mix well with other ingredients.

You’re welcome to mix the ground and non-ground seeds at a 4:1 ratio.

When your poppy seeds are of flour consistency you’ll slowly add them to boiling milk together with vanilla extract and sugar. Once these ingredients combine you’ll also add farina, a little at a time.

The farina is a new thing for me as far as poppy seed rolls are concerned. However, farina together with milk really brings out the poppy seed grit in the nicest way.

I was skeptic at first but Aleksandra made it several times. Her rolls got better and better. My husband can’t stop eating it and as he’s not into sweets that are not simple syrup based (like baklava, etc) I knew we hit gold.

WHAT TO EAT THE POPPY SEED ROLL WITH

Although a dessert, poppy seed roll can easily become your entire dinner. It’s hard to stop eating it. You’re best off doubling the recipe right from the start.

It’s best served with a warm cup of mint tea, coffee, or a glass of milk.

It’s a roll that never survives until the morning.

If by some crazy chance you don’t eat the entire strudel right away, fold it in saran wrap and put in a plastic bag. You can leave it cupboard or bread box overnight.  When you get ready to eat it again, it’ll be fresh this way.

Poppy seed roll usually lasts about 3-4 days. For the best taste consume it within a day or two.

Warm it up in an oven, instead of a microwave lest you end up with mushy roll.

HOW TO MAKE POPPY SEED STRUDEL STEP BY STEP

1. MAKE THE DOUGH by first activating baker’s yeast, and adding it to flour together with oil and baking powder. Knead until you get a soft ball of dough and let rise for at least an hour. Best if it rises between 1.5 and 2 hours. 

2. MAKE THE FILLING by boiling milk and adding sugar, vanilla extract and poppy seeds. Finally, add farina. Let rest and later divide into two parts.

3. COMBINE DOUGH AND FILLING by dividing dough into two parts.  Roll out the first part, fill it up with one half of the filling and roll the long side up. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Place rolls in a pan, brush with water and butter, then bake.

4. COOL DOWN after baking and dust with confectioner’s sugar.

MORE BLB RECIPES SIMILAR TO POPPY SEED STRUDEL

Would you like to see recipes for rolls and pastries?

• Try our jam rolls.
• Or plum jam strudel.
• Our jam crescents are also the sh*t!

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Dark chocolate orange cake with meringue, also known as Vaso’s cake or Vaso’s torte (Vasina torta) is the best Serbian traditional cake, beloved in the Balkans. Invented by a grateful mother in law, the cake boasts three layers (a nut based crust, a chocolate and orange topping, and a topping made entirely out of meringue) of perfectly combined citrus and chocolate flavors and an (optional) chocolate glaze.

BELOVED IN THE BALKANS, VASO’S TORTE IS THE JEWEL OF SERBIAN DESSERTS

Most desserts in the Balkan region are old fashioned and require once expensive ingredients (eggs, walnuts, butter, etc.). A lot of was at stake, so people judged a cake on its quality. (Quality meant rich, filling and aesthetically pleasing.)

As you can guess, Balkan desserts tend to be challenging complex.  They generally don’t allow for shortcuts, 30-minute prep or 3-ingredients or less.

However I suspect most of you, like me, value quality over quantity. And quality requires dedication. Today’s dark chocolate orange cake with meringue, is no exception.  The cake, also called Vaso’s cake or Vaso’s torte (Vasina torta), isn’t good.

It’s superb! 

TORTE VERSUS CAKE

Tortes are a type of cake.

When we think of a typical cake, it’s spongy on the inside and beautiful on the outside. Recipes call for glazes, frostings and toppings to achieve this effect.

But these gorgeous cakes are often tasteless underneath their makeup.

 Admittedly, in diaspora circles these cakes are a subject of disdain. You’ll often hear a disappointing “oh, it’s just an ordinary sponge (patišpanja),“ where patišpanja indicates an easy to make cake.  

You can recognize sponge based cakes by color.  If you cut yourself a piece and it’s yellow inside, it’s probably a regular sponge cake.

Meanwhile, a torte is a denser, richer type. Its crust consists of eggs, flour, ground nuts and chocolate. Tortes are more complicated to make, but the moisture factor, substance and taste are lightyears ahead of sponge cakes.

Tortes fall into a group of sweets I call ‘grown up’ desserts.

I’ve discussed this with a lot of people and jointly concluded that tortes and heavier desserts (think baklava, hazelnut cake, plum pie, etc.) are sweets we tolerated in childhood, but learned to appreciate – learned to love – only after becoming adults.

Is it because this chocolate orange cake (and desserts like it) is rich? Is it because nostalgia kicks in later in life and becomes the guiding light of our taste? Do our taste buds change for better as we age?

I don’t know.

I do know is when I eat Vaso’s cake these days, I pant with satisfaction at how sensual the threesome of orange, dark chocolate and meringue can be.

(Please note that on the blog I use the terms (torte and cake) interchangeably.)

STORY BEHIND THE CHOCOLATE ORANGE CAKE (AKA VASO’S CAKE)

We can’t know for sure how much of this story is fiction and how much isn’t, but I’d like to think it’s all a true story. I’ve picked up the pieces via several online sources, so forgive me if I don’t get all the details right.

At the beginning of 20^th century there lived (in a small Serbian town of Paraćin), a handsome man named Vaso Čokrljan. A longtime bachelor, Vaso’s marital status was for many years the main topic of town gossip.

What a surprise it was to everyone to hear that at the tender age of 41 Vaso finally married! The lucky lady in question was one Jelena, who’d later describe Vaso as gentlest and kindest of husbands.

When Jelena was pregnant with their child, local doctors informed them she probably wouldn’t survive giving birth. Vaso was devastated.

Sparing no expense he travelled with Jelena to a well known gynecologist in Vienna. Although the birth was difficult (they had to use a complicated set of clamps), both Jelena and their baby girl survived.

After recovering in Vienna, they returned to Paraćin. To celebrate their triumphant return, Vaso’s mother in law organized a huge celebration. She made many regional delicacies for this feast, but the main attraction became a special cake she created in honor of her son in law.

This three layered cake boasted the best region had to offer (different types of nuts, meringue and eggs), and was paired together with a citrus orange flavor. These ingredients (oranges especially), were expensive and difficult to procure, so this wasn’t a cake just anyone could whip up.

And that’s how we got today’s chocolate orange cake.

BUT FIRST…

As Vaso’s cake was usually something I ate at a pastry shop, and not a cake we usually made at home, I tested quite a few recipes. For the final version you’re reading today, I relied heavily on two sources. My gratitude goes out to them.

1. The Big National Cookbook

First source was a classic Yugoslavian cookbook called the “The Big National Cookbook” (Veliki narodni kuhar).

(I own the 6th edition published in 1984, as a collaboration between National book, Belgrade (Narodna knjiga Beograd) and Youth book, Ljubljana (Mladinska knjiga, Ljubljana). The recipe for Vasina Torta is on page 398.)

If you speak B/C/S and love cooking, you MUST get this cookbook! (And this is a minimalist speaking!)

2. Jelena from Food for Thought

Second source was a Belgrade food blogger named Jelena, who blogged over at Food for Thought.

Jelena belongs to that original group of men and women who wrote for the love of food –  not SEO, and whose articles didn’t consist of  “OMG You guuuuuuys!!! :)” followed by 37 adjectives.

Unfortunately she stopped blogging circa 2015. However, each post is translated into English, so you can browse her recipe index. Her food is phenomenal.

Jelena, if you read this post at some point thank you for your blog, for your detailed and patient way of responding, and for the treasure of knowledge you shared!

CHOCOLATE ORANGE CAKE IN TASTE AND LOOKS 

LAYER 1: SIMILAR TO OTHER CAKES

What’s unusual about this chocolate orange cake is that there is only one cake (crust) layer. (Most cakes have on average 2-3 parts for layering.) This layer is made with eggs (separately mixed), ground walnuts, sugar and grated baking chocolate.

This layer is very similar to cakes we’ve done before. So, when I made this chocolate orange cake for the first time I called mom over. She’s the cake whiz in our family and I felt better having her throw a glance over every now and then. Even one of her glances can prevent a cardinal mistake.

LAYER 2: ORANGE DEFINED

Orange defines cake’s second layer.

The foundation of this second layer is sugar syrup and walnuts, eggs and  chocolate. But it is the freshly squeezed orange juice and orange zest (which turn the flavor slightly toward citrus), that give this cake the ‘wow’ factor. (You can adjust the amount of orange juice. Optimal amount is between 7-10 tablespoons.)

LAYER 3: ITALIAN MERINGUE

Classic Italian meringue forms the third layer of our chocolate orange cake. You may remember that what makes this meringue different is the addition of sugar syrup to egg whites whipped into soft peaks. Here is where mom (again) came to rescue as she can whip up a perfect meringue in her sleep.

If meringue scares you I found a website with great tutorials for every kind of meringue you can imagine. I find it helpful to think about it this way: at its most basic, meringue is just egg whites, a pinch of salt and a mixer.

(OPTIONAL BUT RECOMMENDED) LAYER 4: CHOCOLATE GANACHE

Most people use a portion of the meringue to plaster cake sides with a nice snowy finish.

But I trusted Jelena. She insisted cake was best when the three layers are left alone, and the fourth and final layer made entirely of dark chocolate, for Jaffa effect.

Jaffa is a type of cookie biscuit topped with (artificial) oranges and chocolate. (Biscuits similar to Jaffa include Tops, Delicje, Milka’s ChocoJaffa and others.) Chocolate is poured on top of the cake and left to drizzle on the sides, leaving a perfect window into the layers one, two and three. It’s magic!

However, you can imagine my disappointment when (after I would nail the other three complicated layers), my ganache, that simplest of chocolate toppings, kept on coming out all wrong.

First time around the chocolate was too thick. When I poured it over the cake it looked… (use your imagination).  Second time I made it the bag with chocolate exploded above the cake sending chocolate everywhere in one big splash. The third time, I don’t even remember what happened the third time.

I finally watched a few of Tatyana’s videos to get the idea of how she does it. (She’s a cake blogger with numerous tips on cake decorating.) I’m not at what I now call ‘Tatyana level,’ but the ganache is coming out better each time.

(By the way, term ganache comes from the old French for “moron.” Apparently a chef student messed up while pouring hot cream onto chocolate. His  mentor called him a ganache, although the result was the splendid glaze we use today.)

CAKE BUDDY

Even if you are an experienced baker, give yourself at least three hours the first time you make this cake. (No worries, the layers don’t take an hour each. It’s just that there are waiting periods in between.)

For example, the first cake layer needs some time to cool off after baking. Parallel to that, it’s best if you leave the orange layer in the fridge for 30-45 minutes. You’ll have an easier time spreading it over the cake layer after it’s toughened.

Finally, these two should really integrate in the fridge together for at least an hour or two before you make the meringue.

Meringue should not be going onto anything remotely warm, lest it gets destroyed. In the same manner, nothing should be going onto meringue while it’s warm, lest it gets destroyed.

I found this chocolate orange cake, our Vaso’s torte, tastes best a couple of days after you make it. If unable to wait that long (who has the time?), at least promise me you’ll give it a solid “sleepover” in the fridge.

Finally, do yourself a favor and get a cake buddy in exchange for a slice or two. If all they do is wash the dishes as you’re going through them, you’ll be infinitely better off. Because you will use A LOT of dishes.

Ok, now this is entirely too much information. Let me know if you make this cake, and how you like it.

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Tasty quince dessert (slatko od dunja) made by poaching quinces until perfect reduction and softness of fruit are achieved. The resulting dessert (a condiment too!) is best described as quinces in simple syrup. Similar to Turkish ayva tatlisi, and Italian frutta sciroppata, this dessert sauce is great by itself or as a topping.

(BOSANSKI)

POACHED QUINCE DESSERT

There was a time when upon opening a wardrobe or glancing at a window seal, your eyes were met with an object so yellow and aromatic it pulled you straight into now. The past was spent, and future delegated to some other latitude while you stood face to face with the misshapen apple, the yellowest of pears, mysterious and sweet smelling quince.

Today we are taking that quince for consumption. The recipe isn’t new but taste is altogether different.

If you came across the strawberry sweet sauce I use to gorge on, you’ve an idea what this quince dessert (slatko od dunja) is about.

Preparation is similar for these two. As is the degree of difficulty in naming them in English. They lack a point of comparison.

There is no batch of desserts I could tack them onto, nor a word precise enough to describe them. (The closest I can do is to get you to think of it as a rich man’s version of canned fruit, if canned fruit was harder and sweeter, and the sauce was thicker and also sweeter.)

Original name for this type of dessert is slatko, meaning sweet. ‘Slatko’ is an adjective except in this case when it transforms into a noun. Slatko od jagoda translates to ‘the strawberry sweet;’ slatko od dunja, ‘the quince sweet.’

But how do I name our slatko od dunja in English? I wanted to be more precise than calling it the quince sweet.

Since days of the strawberry sauce, sugar – that demon! – has for better or worse, also been demonized.

In this sugar-vary environment, how do I write about, or name the dessert based heavily on simple syrup, even when it’s made with something as beautiful, as aromatic, and as culturally significant to the Balkans (and especially Bosnia), as a quince?

I went with the poached quince dessert. Think of it as a Balkan version of the Italian frutta sciroppata or Turkish ayva tatlisi.

‘Fruit in syrup‘ suggested my reader Sabrina. 

QUINCE FRUIT SIGNIFICANCE 

Ottomans brought the quince to the Balkans. Immediately upon coming here the quince took on a romantic hue. It grabbed a hold on lore and music, and achieved solid cultural significance.

There is something about the quince. Heavy. Hard. Tart. Beautiful. It doesn’t like that you try to consume it raw. You may want to, but even when ripe it tastes unripe. You might handle a slice or two, but it’ll never let you finish it whole.

The quince insists on preparation. It insists on patience. It’s worth the wait.

Regrettably, people consume less of them today than ever before. For the generation of our grandmothers it was unthinkable not to have a few young quinces strategically placed around home from where they’d expel their magical aroma as they ripened.

Meanwhile, we love the idea of the quince, but only the idea. Give us something easy to make, we say.

Back in the day when you visited a friend or a neighbor in Serbia the first thing they brought you was a small bowl of poached quinces in simple syrup, along a glass of water.

I thought about the meaning behind this kind gesture and distances come to mind. If you lived in a village then, it was a trek to reach your neighbor’s house. Quince syrup offered a perfectly timed sugar jolt to revive your energy until dinner.

YELLOW QUINCES (ŽUTE DUNJE)

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the quince has an epic standing.

Mere mention of a quince awakens a collective consciousness’ nostalgia, demonstrating itself as an inkling of a more perfect time akin to goosebumps during a National Anthem performance.

Parents often name their baby girl Dunja (quince), while many a restauranteur has opened an establishment called miris dunja, or ‘quinces’ aroma.’

Most famous reference to quinces is a remake of a sevdah song, ‘yellow quinces’ (žute dunje), by Davorin Popović and his band Indexi, for use in the cult ex-Yu movie, Kuduz.

Sevdah music songs, or sevdalinke, are folk love songs specific to Bosnia. Sevdah is a Turkish word for lust, love and longing. These sad, dramatic melodies are fitting for times when you crave a specific mood. Like a mantra, good sevdalinka is a meditation unto itself.

In colloquial Bosnian, it is the feeling of longing that’s most associated with sevdah. This longing has to do with the youth gone too quickly, unrequited love or love that just couldn’t be. In most cases, sevdalinke are best in their original composition. Except when a remake so perfect arrives that it leaves the original far behind.

This was the case with Davorin’s interpretation of ‘yellow quinces.’ It’s so loved in the region the first few notes will get anyone to start singing it.

‘Yellow quinces’ is about a young couple in love who were prevented from getting married. The girl falls ill and wishes for yellow quinces from Istanbul. Her darling travels to get them, but having been away too long finds she died in his absence. The song ends with him begging they uncover her body so he can kiss her one last time.

The lyrics are even more touching voiced through the melody of Davorin’s raspy, arresting voice. (If you’d like to listen to it – I highly, highly recommend it! – here’s Davorin live.)

HOW TO MAKE THE POACHED QUINCE DESSERT

When you head over to the market to get the quinces (sometime between October and December, during their season), always get one or two more than you think you’ll need.

Bruises on the outside of the fruit are not an indication of it going bad, or being ripe on the inside. In reality, a quince may trick you. It may be perfectly yellow and hard on the outside, but as you cut it you may discover bruises on the inside. Don’t use those.

Core it and peel like you would an apple. But be careful! It’s tough. (Imagine peeling a watermelon.) There is no use being speedy lest you cut your finger. The quince will not let you handle it absentmindedly.

This quince recipe is even simpler than the strawberry syrup as there is no marinating.

But it’s helpful if you get a large pot with water with sugar and lemon ready before you start peeling. Quinces brown easily. The best way to prevent this is to either smear pieces with lemon juice, or to drop them into the pot, right as you’re cutting them.

As mentioned we mostly prepared the strawberry syrup in my family. Grandmother loved strawberries, and she was the one who prepared it for dessert, and as a condiment for winter. (Quince dessert is equally good for conserving. Method is the same – just get more quinces, sterilize jars, and make a larger batch.)

But when I was testing the recipe for quince dessert, suddenly the old and tried recipe seemed basic. So I overcomplicated it. I first made the simple syrup, then added the quinces in. This resulted in quinces remaining hard while the syrup turned to something you’d use for hair removal. Lesson? Simple does it!

Quinces don’t have to fall apart, but the pieces do need to soften the way we need that aroma of theirs. If you don’t like chunks, grate them.

It couldn’t be easier from here.

Bring to a boil on medium, and then lower the heat. Simmer for an hour or so, removing the foam that forms on top. You won’t be able to remove all of it as the syrup frequently bubbles up. Get as much as you can and don’t worry about the rest.

Cooking may take you an hour or an hour and fifteen minutes. Rely more on the spoon than the clock. You’re looking for the moment when, upon drawing a line on the bottom of the pot with your spoon, the quince syrup separates easily.

As they cook, quinces will change their color to dark orange (burgundy almost). Forty-ish minutes in, the aroma will intoxicate you.

If you want a thinner syrup consistency, use more water and grate quinces. This is a better method if you plan to conserve them.

OTHER QUINCE RECIPES

There are a few other quince delicacies.

• There is, of course, the Turkish ayva tatlisi.
  You make ayva tatlisi similarly to quince dessert by cooking quince halves in simple syrup, and then topping them with cream made from the milk of a water buffalo.
• Italian frutta sciroppata (fruit syrup).
  Delicious Italian version of our recipe, although in syrup thickness it seems to be somewhere between canned fruit and simple syrup.
• A type of tufahije with quinces exists too. 
  Here quinces exchange the poached, walnut apples, but preparation usually calls for an additional oven bake, something that may or may not happen with regular stuffed apples.
  
• A simple jam tart.
  Chef and blogger extraordinaire David Lebovitz has created a perfect tart to use the quince jam with. And if you ever wondered how to make the perfect tart crust, this recipe is it.
• Baked quinces.
  Some people prefer no fuss recipes, especially when a new food is introduced. If this is you, baked quince is right up your alley.
• Quince juice? Oh yes!
  For those of us who like to quench our thirst with unusual drinks (juniper berry juice anyone?), there is always the quince juice.
• Maybe you’ve heard of kitnikez?
  It’s a quince jelly from Serbia’s Vojvodina province. Kitnikez probably originates from Austria-Hungary as it’s a local pronunciation of German for quitttenkäse, or ‘quince cheese. Elsewhere it goes under membrillo.

Embarrassingly, I didn’t know about kitnikez until last year when mom brought me some. I kept it outside the fridge for a few hours. Not knowing exactly what it was – I thought mom was joking when she pronounced the dessert, as it sounds funny – and being vary of new things (a terrible trait for a food blogger!), I discarded it.

Only later did I find out my ignorance cost me something splendid.

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