In 2011, archaeologists in Switzerland unearthed seeds of a fruit once so popular in medieval Europe that it was a staple in royal gardens and even mentioned in Chaucer and Shakespeare — yet today it is virtually unknown. The medlar, historically dubbed the 'open-arse' due to its appearance, has all but disappeared from British tables.
The fruit, which must be eaten rotten (a process called 'bletting'), was a craze from Roman times through the 17th century. Charlemagne mandated it in royal gardens, Henry VIII planted it at Hampton Court, and it was as common as apples. But by the 1950s, it had vanished from public consciousness, and now not a single British supermarket sells it.
Despite its vulgar nickname — also translated as 'monkey's bottom' in French — the medlar was prized for its unique flavour and ornamental beauty. The tree, Mespilus germanica, produces star-shaped flowers in spring and colourful foliage in autumn. However, its decline remains mysterious; some speculate changing tastes or the rise of other fruits contributed to its obscurity.
Today, medlars are grown mainly by eccentric gardeners and as historical curiosities. Many trees in public spaces go unrecognised, their fruit left to rot. The fruit's bizarre requirement to be eaten 'rotted' may have been its downfall in a modern world that prizes fresh produce.
