# Marmalade, jelly, jam, preserves, conserves ...



## mirx

Probably stupid, but does anyone Know the difference in jelly, jam, and marmelade? I never know which is which, I know in spanish jelly could be jalea and marmelade is obvious but what about jelly?


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## GrandBlank

Here's a good link.

From my observation, I know *jelly *as a _clear_ fruit spread.  *Jam *contains _pulp_.  Another kind of spread is *preserves*, which contains _chunks _of fruit.

I never knew what *marmalade *was, but this link says that it contains the _rind _of the fruit.


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## Brioche

Jam is made [essentially] by boiling fruit and sugar together.

If the jam mixture is passed through a fine filter, usually a cloth, then what comes through the cloth is_ jelly_.

In BE _jelly_ can also be what Americans call _jello_. This is a dessert made with flavoured and sweetened gelatine. The mixture of flavour, sugar and gelatine is available in granules. The granules are dissolved in hot water, and the mixture is allowed to cool and set.

Generally speaking, _marmalade_ is a type of jam made with citrus fruit. The peel of the oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruit, &c is cut into fine shreds and boiled with the fruit pulp and sugar.


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## mirx

Thanks a lot, that's something I've been wondering all my life, by the way.  

Are marmalades always made of citrus?


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## Brioche

mirx said:


> Are marmalades always made of citrus?



Generally speaking, yes.

However, I have heard of _ginger marmalade, quince marmalade_, and various others, but I'm pretty sure they have lemon or orange mixed in them, too.


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## LinguaFan

Hello again

could you explain to me the difference between jam, preserve and conserve?

Thank you


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## la reine victoria

Hello LinguaFan,

Essentially they all mean the same.  Jam is made by boiling fruit with sugar to keep as a winter supply.  The fruit in jam is conserved (saved) and preserved (kept edible).  Whether you call it jam, preserve or conserve is a matter of personal preference.

Bon appétit!


LRV


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## french4beth

From answers.com: 
_jam_


> a type of sweet spread or condiment made with certain fruits or vegetables, sugar, and sometimes pectin


 more details here

_preserve_


> 1. Fruit cooked with sugar and usually pectin, used as a spread for bread. Preserves differ from jam in that the fruit is left in medium to large chunks rather than being puréed.


 
Same source: _conserve_


> 1. Fruit cooked with sugar and usually pectin, used as a spread for bread. Preserves differ from jam in that the fruit is left in medium to large chunks rather than being puréed.


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## la reine victoria

Well researched, Beth.   

I've tried all three.  Admittedly jam is more "spready" but to a peasant such as myself they all seem to taste the same.     Yummy on toast!





LRV


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## french4beth

Thank you, your majesty!

Some fruits aren't available in jam/preserve/conserve form... so I like *jelly*, too (also from answers.com): 





> 1. A clear, bright mixture made from fruit juice, sugar and sometimes pectin. The texture is tender but will be firm enough to hold its shape when turned out of its container. Jelly is used as a bread spread and as a filling for some cakes and cookies. 2. In Britain, jelly is the term used for gelatin dessert. _See also_ conserve jam; preserves.


Jelly is _very_ easy to spread. Not sure what you call this in GB, though... 





> In the United States, the usual distinction between "jelly" and jam is that the latter contains visible seeds or pieces of fruit, whereas the former does not.


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## Dimcl

> In the United States, the usual distinction between "jelly" and jam is that the latter contains visible seeds or pieces of fruit, whereas the former does not.


 
In Canada, "jelly" is made with gelatin and "jam" is not.


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## waspsmakejam

Preserves are foods made by bottling a fruits or vegetables with in a liquid that preserves (keep them edible).

Jams are a type of preserve, made with fruit (or fruiting vegetables, such as marrows) and sugar.  In jam recipes, the jam preserves the fruit.  But not all preserves are jam.  

Marmalade is another sort of sweet preserve, made with citrus fruits.

Chutneys and pickles are also preserves.  The preserving ingredient is generally vinegar, although sometimes its very salt water.


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## LinguaFan

Does it matter what fruit is used to make it? Can we, for example, speak of peach preserve, or will it be more natural to say peach jam?

Thank you


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## Tei Tetua

You will hear "jam" used in England to mean the same thing as "jelly" or "preserve" in America. Not that "jam" is unknown in America, but the term isn't used as much. I can't say anything about Canadian usage.


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## .   1

Here is an Australian view.
Conserve; A preparation of fruit in sugar, similar to jam, but usually containing whole pieces of fruit.
Jam; A preserve containing fruit which has been boiled with sugar until the mixture sets.
Preserve; Fruit, etc prepared by cooking with sugar.
Marmelade;  A preserve made by boiling the pulp and rind of citrus fruits with sugar.

A few years ago Jams began to be replaced by Conserves and Preserves on the shelves in supermarkets due to the odd fact that there is a legal limit on the ratio of fruit:sugar in Jam so when people wanted more fruit and less sugar in their spreads the companies were required to rename from Jams to Conserves or Preserves.

.,,


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## la reine victoria

french4beth said:


> Some fruits aren't available in jam/preserve/conserve form... so I like *jelly*, too (also from answers.com): Jelly is _very_ easy to spread. Not sure what you call this in GB, though...


 
Over here Beth, bramble *jelly* is a very old favourite.  It is made from blackberries, in the same way as jam, but then passed through a sieve so that all traces of the fruit and seeds have gone.  Recipe here.

Nature note:  Despite a very long, hot, dry summer, the hedgerows of the Isle of Wight are absolutely laden with large, ripe blackberries.  On a recent "picking trip". without moving my position, I picked 3 lbs of them.  Elderberries are plentiful and the hawthorn and wild rose hedges are crimson with haws and rose-hips.

LRV


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## mora

LinguaFan said:


> Does it matter what fruit is used to make it? Can we, for example, speak of peach preserve, or will it be more natural to say peach jam?



They are different things.

Peach jam is peaches boiled with a lot of sugar to make a spread. If the peach jam is strained, it becomes peach jelly.

Peach preserves are peaches cut in half or in slices, not cooked, then put in a jar with juice and water and some sugar, then the whole jar is heated up in a bath of water to kill bacteria. It is 'canned peaches'.

mora


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## la reine victoria

We call these "bottled peaches" in the UK, Mora.  Canned peaches are produced in cans in a factory.

We use the term "canned fruit" but more commonly "tinned fruit".

BE CE difference I suppose. 


LRV


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## mora

Hello

In North America, when we make preserves, we call it 'canning', even though it is not using 'cans' but glass jars. Interesting difference!

Mora


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## englishman

Could someone explain to me the distinction in AE between "jam" and "jelly" ? I was under the impression that our ex-Colonial friends used "jelly" for all forms of boiled fruit preserved with sugar, but I recently heard a joke on a program my kids watch ("Fairly odd parents" - the one with the fairies ?) that involved the use of the term "jam" in the BE sense.

Can anyone clarify this ?


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## elroy

Both can be used, but "jelly" is more common.


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## mgarizona

According to the American Heritage Dictionary, the difference seems to be the presence of 'gelatin' in 'jelly,' which makes sense. Also jam deals in fruit; jelly in fruit juice :

jam = A preserve made from whole fruit boiled to a pulp with sugar. 

jelly = A soft, semisolid food substance with a resilient consistency, made by the setting of a liquid containing pectin or gelatin or by the addition of gelatin to a liquid, especially such a substance made of fruit juice containing pectin boiled with sugar.


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## river

To put it another way:

Jelly, unlike jam, contains fruit juice(s) but no fruit pulp. 
          — 2005 _New Millennium Farmers Almanac_
__ 
I agree with Elroy. I  always say "jelly."


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## MissFit

There are actually government standards, established by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which dictate what products may be labeled "jam," "Jelly," or  "preserves." The standards have to do with the percentage of real fruit, sugar, and pectin.

Basically, jam is made from whole fruit that is pureed or cooked until it disintegrates.  Jam is thickened primarily by adding lots of sugar and cooking until the heat makes the sugar syrup thicken.  Jelly has a more gelatin-like consistency and it contains less sugar than jam.  Jelly is made from fruit juice and thickened with added pectin.  Preserves are similar to jam, but preserves contain bits that are still recognizable as fruit.

Pectin is the carbohydrate in fruit that makes jelly gel, or thicken.  Gelatin (a protein) is not used to make jelly, but it may be used in some of the low-sugar or sugar-free substitutes.


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## fenixpollo

In addition to the wonderful information provided by MissFit, river and mgarizona, I agree with elroy that in conversation, *jelly* is used by most people, most of the time.  _Jam_ sounds very British to my ears.

On the labels of, and in commercials for, jelly and jam, the word that is used is *preserves*.


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## JamesM

Hmmm... I would say "strawberry jam" without thinking twice.  I grew up with "grape jelly" and "strawberry jam."  I don't think it's necessarily British.  I do agree that "preserves" is now more common on labels, but it wasn't always so.


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## mgarizona

Admittedly I rarely touch the stuff, but when I do it's the stuff they call 'all-fruit' which doesn't even add the sugar which would make it jam. Is that then 'preserves'?  

I associate the word 'jelly' with jars molded with bas-relief of Flintstones characters. Which should show that I haven't eaten any jelly in a good number of years.


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## JamesM

Here's how "how stuff works" delineates them:

In *jelly*, the fruit comes in the form of fruit juice. 
In *jam*, the fruit comes in the form of fruit pulp or crushed fruit (and is less stiff than jelly as a result). 
In *preserves*, the fruit comes in the form of chunks in a syrup or a jam.


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## maxiogee

I have, somewhere, the family-heirloom(!) "jelly bag" I inherited from my mother. She made jam from many fruits and, occasionally, jelly from apples and quinces. Jams were usually made from berry sources.

The main difference, for me as a spectator and occasional helper, was that the jam was bottled straight from the big copper preserving pan once the test sample showed that it had reached the correct consistency - but for jelly the mixture in the preserving pan was ladled into this 'jelly bag' - a sort of felt material in a conical shape like a funnel - and it seeped through it, filtering any solids from the process. It was based on a wooden ring about 15 inches in diameter and with loops which allowed it to by suspended over a second pan which collected the filtrate and kept it warm until bottling.


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## englishman

maxiogee said:


> The main difference, for me as a spectator and occasional helper, was that the jam was bottled straight from the big copper preserving pan once the test sample showed that it had reached the correct consistency - but for jelly the mixture in the preserving pan was ladled into this 'jelly bag' - a sort of felt material in a conical shape like a funnel - and it seeped through it.



Thanks for all the replies. This one, in particular, makes me think that the
jam/jelly distinction is, in fact, a useful one that has been lost in BE. To me,
"jelly" is repulsive gunk made out of gelatine flavoured with fruit-juice, which,
I suspect, is the factory equivalent of maxiogee's mum's home-made version.
However, in BE, I think we'd still call this "jam", thereby losing what
seems to be the distinction between preserved fruit juice and preserved fruit pulp.

BTW, what do Americans call jam made from oranges ? Marmalade or orange jam/jelly ?


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## JamesM

The only orange-based preserve that I've seen includes rind and chunks of fruit in it and is called "marmalade".  We also have other citrus fruit marmalades, but they are very different from jams or preserves.


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## panjandrum

Naturally, I agree with Tony. We couldn't afford a proper jelly-bag, but an appropriately processed section of an old bed sheet did the same job. So we had home-made jam (fruit boiled with sugar) and jelly (fruit boiled with sugar and filtered through old socks).
Jelly is also, of course, what we called the *repulsive gunk made out of gelatine flavoured with fruit-juice*. This is so far removed from the real fruit stuff that I really don't understand how we coped with using the same word. We are talking here about the difference between a real fruit product and Jell-O.  I'm not sure there was ever any fruit juice in the flavouring?


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## roxcyn

JamesM said:


> Here's how "how stuff works" delineates them:
> 
> In *jelly*, the fruit comes in the form of fruit juice.
> In *jam*, the fruit comes in the form of fruit pulp or crushed fruit (and is less stiff than jelly as a result).
> In *preserves*, the fruit comes in the form of chunks in a syrup or a jam.




I agree with the above, however if someone was asking for any of the three you could use any of those words:

Do you have any jelly/jam/perserves to bring to me with my toast?

Essentially the meanings are very similar, right?


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## JamesM

Not if you don't like crunchy bits in your spread.  

Jams have seeds and so do preserves.  Jellies do not.  Some people are sensitive to the texture, and others find that the seeds get caught between their teeth (or under their dentures) and are painful.  Still others, like my wife, simply don't like crunching down on a seed when eating bread with a fruit spread on it.


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## Orange Blossom

Ecossaise said:


> A dessert made with gelatine, flavouring and water - known in the US  as Jello and in the UK as Jelly



Oh my.  Jelly here is a very different thing.  It is made generally from fruit, and pectin is used to make the jelly firm in a way similar to but not like gelatin.  Jelly will be firm without chilling.  Jello is firm only when chilled - in my experience.

I've known kids to fill balloons with jello and throw them at each other.  Jelly is never used for this, what I consider unworthy, purpose.

Orange Blossom


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## la reine victoria

Jelly is what we call "jam" in BE.

LRV


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## JamesM

There is a distinction in AE between "jelly" and "jam".  Jam includes pieces of fruit in it; jelly does not.  The jelly is flavored by the fruit but all the fruit pieces have been filtered out.  Do you have different names for these two spreads in BE?


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## AngelEyes

Have you ever thought that there almost needs to be an American English/British English sub-Forum all its own?

I never realized just how many differences there are between the two. And maybe I should write that: _realised_.

Also, in addition to jams and jellies, we also have preserves: HERE  You'll also find a good link to JELLO, too.



*AngelEyes*


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## la reine victoria

JamesM said:


> There is a distinction in AE between "jelly" and "jam". Jam includes pieces of fruit in it; jelly does not. The jelly is flavored by the fruit but all the fruit pieces have been filtered out. Do you have different names for these two spreads in BE?


 
Indeed we do, James.  We can make delicious blackberry and apple *jam*, but if we pass it through a sieve (to get rid of seeds and skins)  before putting it into jars, we have a fine blackberry and apple *jelly*. 

LRV


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## mora

In AE, *jam* is boiled fruit preserved with sugar, the same thing with an additional processing step that removes the fruit pulp and seeds and makes a translucent substance is *jelly.* 

mora


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## Nelson Drake

la reine victoria said:


> We call these "bottled peaches" in the UK, Mora.  Canned peaches are produced in cans in a factory.
> 
> We use the term "canned fruit" but more commonly "tinned fruit".



No bottling is a different process. Jam making relies on sugar to preserve. Canning on heat and then exclusion of air. Bottling is similar to canning.


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## Orange Blossom

In the United States the way I've heard them used:

_Jelly_: made usually from fruit juice, pectin may or may not be added depending on the fruit, and some amount of sugar, the whole boiled so that it will jell. It will have a clear or transparent appearance. Apples are often made into apple jelly. There are some 'oddities' such as mint jelly.

_Jam_: The whole fruit is used in making the jam. Once again pectin may or may not be added, and some amount of sugar and the whole is boiled down so that it will set. It will never be clear or transparent because of the presence of pulp and seeds.

_Marmalade_: Always chunky to a certain extent and containing lots of citrus peel. The primary fruit in the marmalade may not be citrus. Peach marmalade is one that I know of.

_Preserves_: A more general term I think referring to preserved food. I've read the term in older works, but never used it myself. I've heard of tomato preserves, but I don't know what this actually describes.

_Conserves_: never heard of it before.

There are also fruit products called 'butters". Apple butter is the most common. The fruit, minus the stem and seeds (I'm not sure about the skin) of the apples is pureed and mixed with cinnamon and other spices, and cooked until it carmelizes. Other fruit butters have other ingredients and may not carmelize. They have a different consistency than either jam or jelly.

When we 'bottle' peaches, pears etc. we say we are canning them even though they are going into bottles. The kettle used to boil the bottles in order to seal them is called a 'canner' here.

_Jello _made from gelatin, sugar, and frequently fake fruit flavors and chilled. Jello was the original company in the United States to package and sell flavored gelatin packages, so in common speech people called the gelatin deserts etc. jello or jello salads if big pieces of fruit were added.

Orange Blossom


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## Orange Blossom

Another note:  Gelatin desserts are called 'jello' in the United States because Jell-O was the first company to package and sell these flavored gelatin mixes.

Jello is made from gelatin, sugar and -  in the commercial variety - fake fruit flavors.  Unflavored gelatin is also available, but never called jello in its non-prepared state.  The finished product, however, might still be referred to as jello or a jello salad.

Orange Blossom


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## panjandrum

We are in danger of making too much of the differences here.
I can agree with every point in Orange Blossom's post, though Jello, being a commercial product, is known only as a US product.
In BE, as well as jelly that OB describes, jelly is any product that is like Jello.

It's a long time since I came across bottled fruit, but my mother used to do it.


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## parriparri

so "canned fruits" or "fruit preserves" are a sort of fruits under syrup?


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## panjandrum

parriparri said:


> so "canned fruits" or "fruit preserves" are a sort of fruits under syrup?


Fruit preserves, preserved fruit, involves fruit and sugar syrup.

Canned fruits may be remarkably similar, but may also be fruit pieces in fruit juice rather than sugar syrup.


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## JamesM

I agree with panjandrum.  

Canned fruits, to me, would still retain a lot of the original consistency of the fruit and the accompanying liquid is much thinner and usually fairly clear.  The chunks are distinct and identifiable, like this:

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2ptxEln_JXo/TBuZ_RwGh7I/AAAAAAAAAXo/F_DcHA_SEoY/s1600/fruit_cocktail.jpg

or like this:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OJrPXK_F-GQ/SpaYtUFKw5I/AAAAAAAAAT8/arB4lORufkM/s400/Canned+Peaches.JPG


Fruit preserves have a consistency of a thick jam with chunks of fruit but the fruit has become more a part of the overall jam, like this:

http://bonnemamanpreserves.com/i/large/bonne-maman-peach-preserves.jpg

By the time it's jam it is all pretty much the same consistency.  You might be able to identify seeds but the consistency is more like a thick goo or paste:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4077/4906140880_890fd31da0.jpg

I hope that helps.  As a note, this is my point of view as one American English speaker.  I can see from posts above that the definition of preserves might be different for different people.


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## natkretep

Agreed - but _jam_ can be made with the whole fruit (at least in BE), and they can still be identified, as in strawberry jam here.

Is the term _compote_ used in AE? That is also made with the whole fruit gently boiled in syrup, and a compote does not set like jam.


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## mora

Hello!

I am a very active home canner. In North America, this refers to putting food in glass jars, capping with a special two part lid, or other lids designed specifically for home canning,  and heat processing it, either with water or steam. It would be easier to understand if we called it 'bottling' or 'jarring' , but we call it 'canning'. parriparri has added some good, clear information, but I would like to add a little that comes from my experience (and some failures) in home canning. 

Jams, jellies and marmalades have a lot of sugar. LOTS. Typically, equal sugar and liquid/fruit by volume. In their making there is a magic transformation in that the combination of sugar, heat and pectin (a component of the fruit) turn a liquid into a solid gel. It has never been clear to me if there is a difference between jam and marmalade, except we seem to apply 'marmalade' to citrus fruit based recipes, and sometimes 'marmalade' is made without chunks of fruit, just citrus zest and juice and sugar, so technically this might be a jelly, but is still referred to as a marmalade. Jams and jellies often have added lemon juice to increase the acidity, necessary for the preserving process.  Marmalades are already highly acidic , so they usually do not need added acidity. Jams usually have crushed fruit, but in addition they may have whole fruits added. They all share the distinctive characteristic that they are placed in  the jar as a more or less liquid and form a solid gel in the jar as they cool down.All are usually considered a spread for bread or biscuits, but can be used in other ways, filling for pastries, marinade or glaze for meats, on ice cream or yogurt. 

Preserves  likewise consist of sugar and fruit, but they have lot less sugar, ratio of sugar to fruit of 1:10 to 1:3 . They do not 'gel' like jams, jellies and marmalades. It is a personal taste how much sugar one uses. 1:3 ratio would be a thick syrup, 1:10 , flavoured water. If one uses no sugar, only water, the fruit will still be preserved by the heat processing, however it can have an unappetizing greyish tint. A little sugar seems to make the fruit look better, however the sugar is not needed to preserve the fruit. The preserving occurs by the acidity (a little added lemon juice) and the heat processing. The mixture is the same when placed in the jar and when opened. They are not usually considered a spread, they are more like the commercial 'canned' fruit purchased in metal cans, with largish pieces of fruits in syrup, water or juice. 

Conserves are like jam, except they contain mixed fruits, raisins and nuts, sometimes alcohol, although alcohol is often added to all of the above. 

Chutneys contain fruits and vegetables, and some vinegar for acidity, and usually spices. They are similar to preserves, they do not 'gel' like J , J and M. They are cooked down to their final thickness, they are essentially the same when they are placed in the jar as when the jar is opened. 

Fruit compote can also be preserved in jars, it consists of a cooked fruit puree with and sugar and spices.

This is the language used for home canning in North America, used in the various recipe books. I have one recipe book from England. In this book, all of the above is considered 'preserves' and they use the word 'preserving' as AE  uses 'canning'. Their definition of 'conserves' differs, they say it is jam with chunks of whole fruit. 

Mora


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## curiosone

Jelly in AE refers (as specified above) to clear jam (filtered through a cloth so there are no pieces of fruit, and the final result looks almost like a gelatin (although denser).  It's usually made with pectin.  Example:  grape jelly, or red currant jelly, or even mint jelly.

Jam, which I've always heard as a term in AE (unlike what Tei Tetua implied in post #14) refers to fruit cooked with sugar until it's thick (not as solid as jelly), where the fruit is often a peeled pulp, or in small pieces.  Example:  strawberry or any berry jam, peach jam, or even grape jam (which has a different consistency than grape jelly, which is more solid and more transparent).

Preserves usually has larger pieces of fruit (than jam), and the fruit is often unpeeled.  However "jam" and "preserves" are often used interchangeably.

Marmalade (as indicated in earlier posts) is usually made with citrus fruits (also with ginger), containing slices of fruit including the peel.  It often has a tarter taste (than jam or preserves), because of the peel (and the kind of fruit).


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