This plum, native to Alsace, is a fruit associated with autumn. Its beautiful shiny purplish-blue skin covers firm sweet-sour flesh. More or less ovoid in shape, its orange juicy pulp contains a stone. The skin usually has a frosted "bloom."

Medicinal properties 
Easily digested, the quetsch contains a specific sugar, sorbitol, that stimulates the gall bladder and has a beneficial effect on the intestines. When the fruit is ripe, it doesn't have an irritating effect on intestinal transit. 

Nutritional values per 100 g
Calories : 57.14. Protein: 0.86 g. Lipids: 0 g. Carbohydrates: 12.86 g. Fiber: 2.86 g. Calcium: 11.43 mg. Magnesium: 11.43 mg. Potassium: 271.43 mg. ß-Carotene: 194.29 µg. Vitamin C: 5.71 mg (ascorbic acid)

Market
Early September.

Buying
Avoid fruit that is too hard or pale in color: it's not ripe. 
The bloom is a sign of freshness and quality. 

Storing
Quetsches are fragile and dislike being shipped. They don't keep well. 
However, they freeze very well. 

Preparing
Don't bother removing the thin layer of bloom that covers them. Simply rinse under cool running water. 

Cooking
Poach in syrup, use in clafoutis, tarts and cakes. Macerate in eau-de-vie. 

The quetsche loves spices: ginger, vanilla, cinnamon and cardamom. 

Enjoying 
Alsace - This is the typical Alsatian fruit with its unique flavor and texture. Once they were served as a vegetables (dried and served with fatty bacon), but these days they're appreciated more in tarts or in schnapps. Alsatian grandmothers used to dry them on a corner of the stove to keep them for winter. 

An Eastern recipe: halve the quetsches and arrange them in tight rows on a layer of brioche dough sprinkled with bread crumbs; bake; sprinkle with cinnamon and icing sugar when you take it out of the oven. Serve with whipped cream.