Before refrigeration, fruit was canned by stewing it in syrup. Fruit spreads are sweetened with fruit juice, while jams have chopped fruit and jellies are made from fruit juice only. Preserves can be used interchangeably with jams. Butters and jellies do not have fruit pieces.
Before refrigeration was available, many fruit crops had to be canned for later use. This could be accomplished by stewing the fruit in syrup and simply preserving the results, which resulted in a wide variety of recipes for jams, jellies, preserves, and preserves. The now popular fruit spread is differentiated from jams and their ilk in that it is usually sweetened only with fruit juice, rather than sugar. There are also known differences between jams and jellies, and some people like one variety more than another.
The key difference between jams and jellies is that jelly is made from the juice of the fruit only. The fruit is mashed, strained and then boiled with sugar and pectin to create a spreadable product. Jams, on the other hand, feature chopped fruit, often with seeds left in berry jams. This means that when you spread a jam, it will be a bit lumpy as it contains some whole fruits. Not the same with gelatin, which spreads evenly.
Preserves may not differ from jams at all. Preserve is a term that simply means fruit that is preserved through a preservation method. In commercial preparations, preserves can be used in place of jams because it has a higher sugar content and is slightly more syrupy than jams. Some varieties do not contain pectin. However, this varies – some people use the terms preserves and jams interchangeably.
Another related term is preserves, which is often a combination of different fruits made into jams or preserves fashion. Orange apricot jam is an example of preserves. Other recipes for preserves might include nuts or raisins. You may also come across various fruit butters and some made with sweet winter squash.
You can definitely tell the difference between apple jelly and apple butter. Apple butter is essentially cooked applesauce that gets thick and loaded with spice. It is often a deep brown and an excellent spread for toast. Applemint Jelly is a light green substance that is often highly “gelled” with additional pectin.
Neither butters nor jellies feature fruit pieces. Apple butter, pumpkin butter, or pear butter pass through sieves to strain out the chunks. They can also be whipped or mashed. If you like whole fruit in sweet bread spreads, look for jams or no-sugar fruit spreads instead.
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