News - Do You Really Know Anything About Jam?

Summer is the golden time of the Jam season in the UK, as all our delicious seasonal fruits, such as strawberries, plums and raspberries, are at their tastiest and most ripe. But how much do you know about the country's favorite protected areas? Jam as we know it has been around for centuries, giving us a quick source of energy (and giving us a wonderful topping for toast)! Let's talk to you about our favorite jam facts.

1. Jam vs Jelly

There is a difference between ‘jam’ and ‘jelly’. We all know that Americans usually refer to what we know as jam as ‘jelly’ (think peanut butter and jelly), but technically jam is a preserve made using using pureed, mashed or crushed fruit, whilst jelly is a preserve made from just the fruit juice (no lumps). Jelly is essentially jam that has been put through a sieve so it is smoother. Think of it this way: Jelly (USA) = Jam (UK) and Jelly (UK) = Jell-O (USA). Marmalade is a whole other matter! Marmalade is just a term for jam that is made purely from citrus fruits, usually oranges.

2. First Appearance In Europe

It is generally agreed that it was the crusaders who brought jam to Europe, bringing it back after waging war in the Middle East where fruit preserves were first made thanks to the sugar cane that grew there naturally. Jam then became the go-to food to end royal feasts, becoming a favourite of Louis VIV!

3. Oldest Marmalade Recipe

One of the oldest recipes ever found for orange marmalade was in a recipe book written by Elizabeth Cholmondeley in 1677!

4. Jam In World War II

Food was in short supply and heavily rationed during World War II, meaning that Brits had to get creative with their food supplies. The Women’s Institute were therefore given £1,400 (around £75,000 in today’s money!) to buy sugar to make jam in order to keep the country fed. Volunteers preserved 5,300 tonnes of fruit between 1940 and 1945, which were kept in over 5,000 ‘preservation centres’, such as village halls, farm kitchens and even sheds! Of all the facts about jam, you won’t find one more British than this…

5. Pectin Power

Fruit is able to thicken and set when exposed to heat and sugar thanks to an enzyme called pectin. It is found naturally in most fruit, but in larger concentrations in some than others. For example, strawberries have a low pectin content so you would need to add jam sugar that has added pectin to help the process along.

6. What Is Considered Jam?

In the UK, a preserve is only considered to be a ‘jam’ if it has a minimum sugar content of 60%! This is because that amount of sugar acts as a preservative to give it a shelf life of at least a year.

Jam Jars At Jammy Prices!

Intrigued by our facts about jam and fancy having a go at making your own batch this year? Here at Glass Bottles, we also have a selection of glass jars in all shapes and sizes that are perfect for preserves! Even if you’re a big producer looking for bulk quantities at wholesale prices, we also sell our packaging per pallet, which you can find in our bulk section. We’ve got you covered!

Post time: Dec-09-2020 Other Blog