Jams, Jellies & Preserves

Fruit preserves refers to fruit, or vegetables, that have been prepared, canned or jarred for long term storage. Jam is made from 50% fruit & 50% sugar The preparation of fruit preserves traditionally involves the use of pectin. more...

There are various types of fruit preserves made globally, and they can be made from sweet or savory ingredients. Jam was one of the first "foods" ever discovered.

Jam

Jam contains both fruit juice and pieces of the fruit's (or vegetable's) flesh, however some cookbooks define Jam as cooked and gelled fruit (or vegetable) purees.

Properly, the term jam refers to a product made with whole fruit, cut into pieces or crushed. The fruit is heated with water and sugar to activate the pectin in the fruit. The mixture is then put into containers. The following extract from a US cookbook describes the process.

"Jams are usually made from pulp and juice of one fruit, rather than a combination of several fruits. Berries and other small fruits are most frequently used, though larger fruits such as apricots, peaches, or plums cut into small pieces or crushed are also used for jams. Good jam has a soft even consistency without distinct pieces of fruit, a bright color, a good fruit flavor and a semi-jellied texture that is easy to spread but has no free liquid." - Berolzheimer R (ed) et al (1959)

Examples:

• Strawberry jam (sweet, fruit)
• Mint jam (savory)
• Jalapeño pepper jam

Variations

Read more at Wikipedia.org