This is a fascinating description that points to a fruit that was once popular but is now rare! One such fruit, often associated with nostalgia and grandparents’ cooking in Europe because it was robust and stored well, but is hardly ever found in modern commerce, is the medlar.
There are two main candidates that fit this description:
- The Common Medlar (Mespilus germanica)
Description: This is the most likely candidate. The fruits are small, brown, and hard.
The “dessert” aspect: The fruits are inedible and very sour when raw. They must first be softened and fermented by frost or storage (“bletting” or “mushy”). Only then does the flavor change to a sweet-sour, mushy consistency reminiscent of a mixture of applesauce, dates, and raisins – formerly often used as a winter dessert or stuffing.
A rarity today: It has almost disappeared from modern fruit cultivation because it isn’t suitable for mass production. Anyone who finds one is truly lucky!
- The Japanese Medlar / Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica)
Description: A light orange, pear-shaped fruit that grows in warmer regions of Europe (Mediterranean region).
The “dessert” aspect: It has a fresh, sweet-tart flavor and is ready to eat.
Distribution: Still found in many warmer regions, but rarer and more expensive outside its growing area.
The description of the “grandparents’ dessert,” which only becomes edible with effort and is very difficult to find today, most strongly points to the common medlar.
Was this the medlar you meant?