From the market stall they look the same, or almost the same, yet the medlars that we buy starting in May (the orange, sweet one, with the large stone) have almost nothing in common with the medlars that our grandparents used to collect in autumn, then leave them to ripen in straw and bring to the table only after weeks. The name is the same, the botanical family as well (le Rosaceae), what differs is practically everything else.
Two species, two stories
The common medlar, or Germanica, bears the scientific name Mespilus germanica and a curriculum that comes from afar, given that the first traces of cultivation date back to around three thousand years ago, in the areas of Asia Minor and south-eastern Europe. The Romans brought it to the rest of Europe, and for centuries it remained a commonly used winter fruit, before sugar and exotic fruit made it forgotten.
The Japanese medlar (Eriobotrya japonica) has different origins than the name, as it originates from China, where the fruit takes the name of Pipa in reference to the traditional musical instrument, whose shape it resembles. From Japan, where the most valuable varieties were selected, it only arrived in Europe at the end of the eighteenth century. In Italy it was introduced in 1812 in the Botanical Garden of Naples, initially as an ornamental plant, and only later was it discovered that the fruits were good to eat.
Evergreen versus deciduous, summer versus fall
The most immediate difference is certainly the appearance. The Japanese medlar is an evergreen tree, with large, leathery, shiny dark green leaves, while the common medlar is deciduous: in autumn it loses its leaves and in spring it is covered with white, cup-shaped flowers. The European medlar bears fruit in autumn, while the Japanese medlars are precocious, flowering between autumn and winter and the fruits ripen already in spring, ready to be enjoyed as soon as they are picked until summer. In practice, when one ends, the other has not yet started.
The problem of maturation: only one needs to wait
This is the point at which the two species really separate, even from a cultural point of view. The fruits of Mespilus germanica are hard and acidic even when technically ripe, and become edible only after the “bletting” process, a ripening process induced by frost or prolonged storage, during which the tannin content decreases, the acids are reduced and the sugars increase. During bleeding, the peel becomes covered with wrinkles and the pulp becomes brown; apparently it would seem like a fruit that has gone bad, while in reality it develops a particular aroma, with a flavor reminiscent of caramelized apples. Hence the old proverb: “with time and straw the medlars ripen”, because the straw, in fact, was the bed where they were left to rest.
The Japanese medlar, on the contrary, is eaten fresh, then harvested and consumed. The flavor is sweet-sour, the pulp juicy, the color ranges from pale yellow to orange.
Nutritional profile: what the research says
On the scientific front, the Japanese medlar is the most studied. A study published in PubMed in 2024 on the biochemical composition of Eriobotrya japonica juice found that the fruit is poor in fat and protein, with a moderate caloric intake (about 40 kcal per 100 grams), but rich in minerals, vitamin C, phenolic acids, flavonoids and carotenoids, with documented effects on lipid metabolism and the reduction of oxidative stress.
Mespilus germanica is no exception when it comes to polyphenols. A study referenced on PMC documents how, during bleeding, the tannin content drops drastically while that of sugars increases; technically ripe fruits, before softening, contain concentrations of flavanols up to five times higher than edible ones. A paradox: the fruit is more “powerful” when it is still inedible.
Why we confuse them (and why it’s a shame)
The reason for the confusion is simple: in the markets, in common use and above all with regards to the so-called collective memory, the Japanese medlar has supplanted the common one. When someone says “medlar,” they almost always mean spring orange. The commune has become a niche fruit, classifiable among the so-called forgotten fruits, available only in some local markets and in country gardens, and it is a real shame. Mespilus germanica already appears in written documents from the 7th century BC, and in 800 AD Charlemagne included it in the list of obligatory plants in royal gardens. Centuries of history reduced to a fruit that almost no one can recognize anymore, let alone name correctly.
