Medlar

Fruit - raw or cooked. In cooler areas such as Great Britain, the fruit may not fully ripen but can still be harvested in late autumn, preferably after a bit of frost. Before it can be eaten raw, the fruit must first ripen. This can be done by placing the fruits together, with the stem facing up, in a cool place until they are almost rotten, a process known as bletting. At this point, the white flesh turns brown, becomes very soft, and extremely sweet with a delicious flavor similar to exotic fruit. The fruits of wild varieties are usually up to 25 mm in diameter, although some cultivated varieties can be 65 mm or more.