Wayne Boatwright wrote:
> On Wed 11 Jun 2008 07:12:02a, James Silverton told us...
>
>> The wrote on Wed, 11 Jun 2008 09:57:31 -0500:
>>
>>>> ChattyCathy wrote on Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:04:39 +0200:
>>>>
>>>>> In this part of the world 'jam' is what you spread on bread, scones,
>>>>> between layers of cake etc. and is usually made from fruit (and
>>>>> sometimes veggies). It can be smooth or 'chunky' i.e. it sometimes
>>>>> contains nice bits of fruit and sometimes it's 'pureed' (for want of
>>>>> a better word).
>>>>> 'Jelly' is the stuff we usually get in a packet that
>>>>> contains a bunch of sugar/sweetener, gelatin, and artificial
>>>>> flavoring that you mix with (boiling) water which you allow
>>>>> to cool and then refrigerate until it 'sets'. It is often
>>>>> served with custard as a 'dessert'. I have gathered that this what
>>>>> is known as 'jello' in the USA.
>>>>> So my question is this: Why do folks from the USA sometimes call it
>>>>> jam and sometimes jelly? What's the distinction?
>>>>> Oh, and why is 'apple butter' named that? Nothing 'buttery' about it
>>>>> IMHO ;-)
>>>> What follows is IMHO! "Jam", as a spread containing fruit, is
>>>> known but not used very frequently in my part of the world.
>>>> It's a bit ambiguous since "preserve" should cover all such
>>>> things but often means "jam". "Jelly" is used when the solids
>>>> have been strained out and should actually be a gel, ie., not
>>>> fluid. "Jello", once a tradename, is a clear fruit-flavored
>>>> dessert using gelatin or sometimes things like agar to
>>>> achieve the result. Fruit butters contain rather more of the
>>>> original fruit than jam. Apple butter is something like thick apple
>>>> sauce.
>>> Jams are made of fruit, chopped or mashed, cooked with sugar and
>>> possibly added pectin.
>> Let me reiterate that IMHO, if sufficient ripe fruit is used, there will
>> usually be enough pectin to gel. Adding pectin allows the use of less
>> fruit and thus is popular with commercial enterprises tho' sometimes
>> things like orange or ginger marmelade need it. Since pectin is derived
>> from apples, the product can always be termed "pure fruit"!
>>
>>
>
> Orange marmalade does not need added pectin if the pith and seeds are used
> in the cooking process, although sometimes a lemon may be added to boost
> the pectin level. I have never used pectin with any type of marmalade.
>
Neither have I and I make a couple of cases of the stuff a year.