PRESERVES, PICKLES, CHUTNEYS & DIPS

I recall, as a child, my mother standing in front of the stove with huge pots of bubbling, sweet, sticky mixtures of fruits and sugar, making all sorts of preserves.

In North America, the plural form preserves is used to describe all types of jams and jellies. In Britain and most former colonies fruit preserves are simply called jam, with the singular preserve being applied to high fruit content jam, often for marketing purposes.

Fruit preserves are preparations of fruits and sugar, often canned or sealed for long term storage. The preparation of fruit preserves traditionally involves the use of pectin as a gelling agent, although sugar or honey may be used as well. The ingredients used and how they are prepared will determine the type of preserves; jams, jellies and marmalades are all examples of different styles of fruit preserves that vary based upon the ingredients used. Preserves can include sweet fruit preserves like strawberry as well as savoury preserves of culinary vegetables such as tomatoes or squash and, typically British, chutneys and pickles.