What on earth are ..........

[Evianers]

Neftles...............? We were at our international club's Thanksgiving dinner last night.

The table was decorated with kakis [we know what they are yum], sour cherries, rosehips

and a very curious looking brownish fruit with spikey top. We asked the French contingent

what they were: they looked at us as if we were all daft and said "they're neftles of course".

Try as we might, no translation service, nor our huge dictionary can give a definition. Would

they perhaps be cumquats or loquats [look to me definitely like something in that family]???

Thanks for all knowledgeable answers.

[woolybanana]

nèfles, I think you mean, medlars in English

[Bernice]

"Nefliérs" - they are known as medlars in the UK.

"Medlar fruits are unusual both in appearance and in their ripening habits.

They are very hard and inedible until they start to decay. They will rarely

reach this stage by themselves on the tree and need to be harvested as late

as possible

in November . They should be left in a box in a cool dry place until they turn

a dark reddish brown and become soft and juicy. This ripening process is known

as "bletting" the medlars. They can then be used to make jams, jellies

and medlar cheese."

(from Garden Organic website)

Bernice

[Bernice]

Sorry - should have said "nefles" - "neflier" is the tree .......[:$]

Bernice

[Evianers]

thanks guys.

Guess what? looked it up in the OCD and it gives the definition [correct]

and afterwards says "Japanese loquat". So our guess was right. Neither

OH nor I have ever heard of medlars - sad, isn't it?

[Hoddy]

The only place I've ever come across them is in Shakespeare.

Hoddy

[Evianers]

[quote user="Hoddy"]The only place I've ever come across them is in Shakespeare.

Hoddy[/quote]

Yes, they sound and look very mediaeval.

[buelligan]

Around here (Corbieres), "nefles" are like this; [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loquat[/url].  Medlars are these; [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mespilus[/url].  As you say Hoddy, they are mentioned in Shakespeare (and other British literature).  Often in a rather rude way (see link)! [:D]

There are medlar trees growing wild on the hills here.  In Basque country (and some other parts of the Pyrenees), medlar wood was used for making beautiful carved weapon/walking sticks by shepherds and the like.

Edit:  BTW, kumquats or cumquats are something else again..[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumquat[/url]..and I think I'm going to try growing one next year![:D]

[nomoss]

"Nefle" is translated as "medlar" in most English-French dictionaries, but they are not medlars.

[Sunday Driver]

Well, they certainly look like them....

 

[buelligan]

Methinks you need a softer cushion on that bike of yours...[:D]

[nomoss]

As far as I have been able to tell, nefles here in France (and Spain where they are called nespres) are Loquats, also known as Japanese medlars http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loquat , but they are not the same family as the medlar originally found in UK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mespilus

The leaves are very similar

[Sunday Driver]

Medlars according to the Royal Horticultural Society: 

http://www.rhs.org.uk/Gardening/Grow-Your-Own/Grow-Your-Own-Fruit/Fruit-A-to-Z/Medlars

Nèfles according French wikipedia:

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/N%C3%A8fle

Still look the same to me....[;-)]

 

[chris pp]

We have masses of them this year, I give them to the dog, (not all at once)!

Chris

[buelligan]

Yes Driver!  The RHS link definitely shows a medlar and the French Wiki link shows one too!  If you check the latin name for loquat (Eriobotrya japonica) on French Wiki you get [url]http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eriobotrya_japonica[/url] - a nefle du Japon.  The latin name for medlar (Mespilus germanica) in French Wiki produces [url]http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mespilus_germanica[/url].  Both nefles then, but, I imagine, from Evianers' description that it was the medlar not the loquat he/she saw.[:D]

[nomoss]

Voir aussi Nèfle du Japon http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/N%C3%A8fle_du_Japon these are what are grown around here and sold in the shops as nèfles. I guess they use the same common name, but those I am given/buy here don't have to be kept until rotten before eating, like medlars in England, which my aunt used to grow.