Ever wonder what people ate for dessert before strawberries and chocolate took over? The medlar fruit dominated European tables for centuries, earning praise from Shakespeare and appearing in countless medieval recipes. This small, golden fruit with its unfortunate nickname “monkey’s bottom” was actually the star of sweet treats across Europe until it mysteriously vanished from kitchens around the 1700s.
Shakespeare loved this ugly little fruit
The medlar looked nothing like the pretty fruits we’re used to today. About the size of a crab apple with dull golden skin, it earned some pretty unflattering nicknames throughout history. Shakespeare mentioned it in his plays, and Chaucer wrote about it too, though they weren’t exactly singing its praises for beauty. The French called it “cul de chien” which translates to “dog’s bottom” – not exactly appetizing marketing material.
Despite its looks, this forgotten fruit was incredibly popular from Roman times through the Medieval period. People didn’t care about Instagram-worthy presentation back then – they cared about taste and availability. The medlar delivered on both fronts, growing easily across Europe and providing sweet satisfaction when other fruits were scarce during winter months.
Medieval families relied on fruit preservation techniques
Before refrigerators existed, families had to get creative about keeping fruit fresh through harsh winters. Medieval households turned to preservation methods that seem almost magical today. They’d harvest medlars in late October and November, right after the first frost touched them. This timing wasn’t random – the cold actually helped the fruit ripen properly through a process called “bletting.”
Smart cooks discovered they could turn these fruits into long-lasting spreads and preserves. Italian families developed mostarda, a sweet and spicy condiment that kept quinces and other fruits edible for months. This wasn’t just about survival – it was about enjoying fruit throughout the entire year when fresh options were impossible to find.
Making medlar butter was easier than expected
The process of turning medlars into something delicious was surprisingly straightforward. Cooks would remove the skins and boil the fruit with water for about 15 minutes. Then they’d pass everything through a colander to separate the seeds while keeping all the good pulp. The real magic happened when they mixed this pulp with soft brown sugar and stirred it continuously over medium heat.
What started as a tan-colored mixture would slowly transform into a rich, chocolate-brown spread with a glossy finish. The result was fruit butter – something between a puree and jam that lasted for months when stored properly. Some families added spices like clove, star anise, or cinnamon to make their version special. This spread worked perfectly on bread, mixed into porridge, or eaten straight from the jar.
Avocados used to star in ice cream recipes
Here’s something that might blow your mind – avocados weren’t always destined for guacamole and toast. About 70 years ago, American families were making avocado ice cream as a regular dessert. This wasn’t some weird experiment either; it was genuinely popular until tastes shifted toward the savory applications we know today. The creamy texture of avocados made them perfect for frozen treats.
What’s really interesting is that this “forgotten” use never actually disappeared worldwide. Comments on vintage recipe videos reveal that people in Mexico, the Philippines, and other countries still make avocado ice cream regularly. Americans just somehow forgot about it while the rest of the world kept enjoying this sweet application. The sherbet-style preparation created a refreshing dessert that one person hilariously described as “ice cream guacamole.”
Blancmange dominated fancy dinner parties for centuries
Long before tiramisu and crème brûlée became the go-to elegant desserts, blancmange ruled European dinner tables. This white, creamy pudding first appeared in a 13th-century Danish cookbook and spread across Europe through Arab trade routes. The name comes from Old French “blanc-mangier,” literally meaning “white dish.” Initially, it was actually a savory dish before sugar became more available in the 17th century.
French chefs kept the elegant essence of blancmange using sweet and bitter almonds, but English versions got pretty rough over time. Cheap substitutions like corn flour instead of gelatin and artificial flavoring instead of real almond extract gave it a bad reputation. By the time instant-mix packets hit the market, blancmange had become “a food Britons loved to hate” – a far cry from its sophisticated origins.
Depression era recipes showcased forgotten ingredients
The Great Depression and World War II rationing periods forced families to get creative with ingredients that seem unusual today. Recipes from this era featured combinations that modern cooks might find strange, but they made perfect sense when certain foods were scarce or required special tokens to purchase. Meat and potato patties became popular when actual meat was hard to find, stretching small amounts into filling meals.
These tough times also brought out the best in simple ingredients that we’ve since overlooked. Depression-era desserts like Grandma Davidson’s Baked Apple Pudding used basic apples and cinnamon to create something special when sugar and fancy ingredients weren’t available. Families learned to make the most of what they had, creating recipes that were both practical and surprisingly tasty.
Quinces were the original mostarda stars
Before apples dominated orchards, quinces were the fruit everyone grew and loved. These hard, aromatic fruits were perfect for the traditional Italian mostarda that peasant families created in the 16th century. Quinces grew wild in the Veneto region, making them easily accessible and practically free. This gave rise to “Mostarda Veneta,” a regional specialty that showcased how one forgotten fruit could feed families through entire seasons.
The simple recipe combined quinces with sugar, mustard essence, and water to create a sweet and spicy condiment that lasted months. Different regions developed their own variations – Mostarda di Cremona used mixed whole fruits, while Mostarda Mantovana featured tiny, acidic campanino apples. These regional differences show how communities adapted the basic preservation technique to whatever fruits grew best in their area, creating unique local specialties from forgotten ingredients.
Root vegetables once commanded dinner table respect
Swedes, white cabbage, and other sturdy root vegetables used to be the stars of family dinners, not afterthoughts. These vegetables were prized for their ability to store well through winter and provide substantial nutrition when fresh options weren’t available. Families would plan entire meals around these ingredients, treating them with the same respect we now give to trendy vegetables like Brussels sprouts or kale.
One traditional approach involved slow-cooking these forgotten vegetables with lamb for five hours at low temperature, then browning everything at high heat for the final 20 minutes. The long, slow cooking transformed tough root vegetables into tender, sweet accompaniments that complemented rather than competed with the meat. This method required patience but created dishes that celebrated rather than hid these humble ingredients.
Modern cooks are rediscovering vintage ingredients
Social media has sparked renewed interest in these forgotten foods, with vintage recipe videos getting millions of views from curious home cooks. People are realizing that ingredients fell out of favor for reasons that don’t necessarily apply today – like availability, marketing trends, or simply changing tastes. Many of these “lost” ingredients are still readily available; we just stopped thinking about them as viable options.
The process of rediscovering these ingredients often reveals that our ancestors weren’t wrong about their appeal. Modern recreations of historical recipes show that many forgotten foods taste better than expected and offer interesting alternatives to current staples. Whether it’s medlar fruit butter, avocado ice cream, or traditional mostarda, these ingredients provide new options for adventurous home cooks looking to expand beyond the same rotation of familiar foods.
Next time someone mentions trying something “new,” remember that the most exciting ingredients might actually be the oldest ones we forgot about. These forgotten fruits and vegetables offer genuine alternatives to modern staples, often with interesting stories and surprising applications that could easily fit into today’s kitchens. Sometimes the best discoveries are actually rediscoveries waiting in old cookbooks and family recipe collections.
