Often time’s inspiration for posts comes from everyday questions people ask me. This one came up the other day so I thought I would try to address it in the simplest of terms. Without getting too technical, here is a breakdown of jelly, jam, preserves and marmalade.

Jelly – is fruit boiled with water and sugar. Pectin, a complex carbohydrate and thickening agent found in plant cell walls, is added to help the jelly holds its consistency. Jelly does not contain any bits of fruit.

Jam – is made with chunks of chopped fruit that are cooked in water, sugar and pectin. The main difference between jam and jelly is the presence of chunk of chopped fruit.

Preserves – is fruit cooked with sugar and pectin. Similar to jam in terms of consistency but the chunks of fruit are generally larger, often times whole.

Marmalade – is fruit cooked with sugar and pectin. The major difference between marmalade and preserves is the use of the flesh and the peel of the fruit in marmalade. This gives marmalade a stronger and slightly bitter taste.