Is there any more simply satisfying breakfast than toast with jam? Or wait, was that jelly? Or was it preserves? Maybe marmalade? Fruit spreads are all deliciously similar, but they do have definite distinctions. Whether you smother your fresh baguette with preserves from the farmers market or smear your peanut butter and jelly sandwich with Smuckers, it’s important to know the difference because they each have their own texture and sugar content. What they have in common According to the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at New Mexico State University, jam, jelly, preserves, and marmalades are all made up of the same basic four ingredients: sweeteners (such as can or beet sugar, corn syrup, or honey); naturally occurring acid, pectin (which can be swapped or even eliminated depending on the desired outcome); and of course, fruit. So now that we know what’s in them, what makes them each different?…
What’s the difference between jam, jelly, marmalade, and preserves?
