A hard, round or oval to pear-shaped tree fruit that resembles a large green to yellow apple with a knob on one end. Quinces can have a wooly surface on their skins,or they can have smooth skin. Not good eaten raw, quinces are best cooked and sweetened in such recipes as jams, sauces and pies. Cooked quinces taste like mild, sweet apples and have the texture of cooked apples.