# People who live outside the USA: Do you routinely eat grape jelly? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [December 20, 2024, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-live-outside-the-usa-do-you-routinely-eat-grape-jelly/1011893 "2024-12-20T00:09:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2024, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-live-outside-the-usa-do-you-routinely-eat-grape-jelly/1011893/41 "2024-12-20T16:18:33Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Even if it were colder, we wouldn’t grow Concords. Because we have a sense of taste. So do people who love Concords. > [@CalMeacham](#): > > There are plenty of wineries in the Finger Lakes of upstate New York that make wine from Labrusca grapes. Yup. If you click on my avatar, you’ll see that’s where I am. > [@CalMeacham](#): > > When I lived in upstate NY I used to get Widmer’s Lake Niagara all the time I developed a distaste for Niagara when I was picking grapes at Widmer’s in the 1970’s, right before the mechanical grape harvesters came in. That to-me cloyingly sweet specifically Niagara scent was thick throughout the whole vineyard and I’d be breathing it all day long; just too much. And Lake Niagara smelled exactly like the grapes, which a lot of lambrusca wines don’t. – Why I had that reaction to Niagaras and not to Concords I don’t know; Concords still smell and taste good to me. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2024, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-live-outside-the-usa-do-you-routinely-eat-grape-jelly/1011893/42 "2024-12-20T16:41:00Z")
> [@kferr](#): > > You’ll occasionally see grape jelly in the US sections of UK grocery stores… I don’t remember seeing it. I just checked Waitrose (high end) and Tesco (low to middle) and neither are currently carrying it. Here between London and the south coast there are literally hundreds of vineyards, and each typically has a shop to sell wine and other things related to the grape (to a greater or lesser extent). I can’t find a single vineyard selling grape jelly. Surprising. The only time I have had grape jelly was when a friend who grows some grapes gave me some that she had made. I’m not sure whether the fact that she lives in Normandy is of any relevance. The jelly, by the way, was delicious. j ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2024, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-live-outside-the-usa-do-you-routinely-eat-grape-jelly/1011893/43 "2024-12-20T16:49:29Z")
There’s a delicious, seedless hybrid grape seasonally at the grocery store called Thomcord (Thompson x Concord). It has a lighter taste than Concord, but still distinctive, and you don’t have to spit out the seeds. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2024, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-live-outside-the-usa-do-you-routinely-eat-grape-jelly/1011893/44 "2024-12-20T17:06:50Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > Welch’s grape jelly is unique, unlike anything else… > It’s a fruit flavor, but of a fruit which exists nowhere except in jars of Welch’s. It’s the flavor of Concord grapes. They are very strongly flavored, much more so than the jelly, but it’s exactly the same flavor. > [@Mangetout](#): > > The default purple flavour here is usually blackcurrant Although i think Europe uses blackcurrant where we tend to use cranberry in the US. Yes, the color is different. And the flavor is different. But they are both sour and strongly flavored and a little “sharp”, and i think they tend to be used in similar ways. Including the breakfast juice that isn’t orange that’s available at the hotel breakfast buffet. > [@MrDibble](#): > > > [@thorny\_locust](#): > > > > If muscats will grow in your area you probably wouldn’t be growing Concords, no. > > Even if it were colder, we wouldn’t grow Concords. Because we have a sense of taste. You know, i like muscats more than Concord grapes. In fact, muscats are my favorite, and the one week a year they show up in my supermarket, i buy them. But Concord grapes are very tasty. You should try them fresh. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2024, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-live-outside-the-usa-do-you-routinely-eat-grape-jelly/1011893/45 "2024-12-20T18:36:19Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > There’s a delicious, seedless hybrid grape seasonally at the grocery store called Thomcord (Thompson x Concord). It has a lighter taste than Concord, but still distinctive, and you don’t have to spit out the seeds. I don’t mind the seeds – I grew up eating Concord grapes and swallowing the seeds. I don’t like Thomcord grapes because you can’t make a pie out of them. I’ve tried. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2024, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-live-outside-the-usa-do-you-routinely-eat-grape-jelly/1011893/46 "2024-12-20T18:58:15Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > I grew up eating concord grapes off the vine and grape jelly sandwiches. It doesn’t taste like that artificial stuff. And I don’t think concord grapes are “sickly sweet” at all. When I was growing up in a suburb of St. Louis, the parents of a brother and sister I was close to had an enormous crop of Concord grapes (at least, I assume they were Concord variety). We used to play hide and seek in the grape “bushes” (I suppose they had trellises but I don’t recall those). While waiting to be found, we would snack on the grapes straight off the vine. The mom made homemade grape jam from the bounty and that was good too. She was ahead of her time - while other mothers were making casseroles with Campbell’s mushroom soup concentrate, she made everything from scratch. We had wonderful homemade ice cream there. A great childhood memory. ---
**Author:** ![ctnguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@ctnguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ctnguy)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2024, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-live-outside-the-usa-do-you-routinely-eat-grape-jelly/1011893/47 "2024-12-20T19:00:24Z")
Is the “J” of the classic PB&J specifically grape jelly? ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2024, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-live-outside-the-usa-do-you-routinely-eat-grape-jelly/1011893/48 "2024-12-20T19:05:43Z")
More often than not, I suspect, but it really can be any kind of jelly or jam. I imagine strawberry is the first runner up, but I’ve had PB&J with pineapple jam. Exotic and delicious! ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2024, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-live-outside-the-usa-do-you-routinely-eat-grape-jelly/1011893/49 "2024-12-20T19:09:14Z")
I’m American, but I haven’t eaten any grape jelly since probably high school. In college, I fed myself on peanut butter sandwiches with raisins replacing the jelly. But nowadays my favorite sandwich is peanut butter & dates (lose the grapes altogether). ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2024, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-live-outside-the-usa-do-you-routinely-eat-grape-jelly/1011893/50 "2024-12-20T19:40:20Z")
In the classic? Absolutely. My favorite is red currant, though. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2024, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-live-outside-the-usa-do-you-routinely-eat-grape-jelly/1011893/51 "2024-12-20T20:11:10Z")
Inna (from Ukraine) says American grape jelly is too sweet and she can’t stand the stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2024, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-live-outside-the-usa-do-you-routinely-eat-grape-jelly/1011893/52 "2024-12-20T20:25:23Z")
Count Israel as another country where grape jelly isn’t readily available, although grapes are raised here, and grape juice is very popular. The jams in my supermarket are strawberry, raspberry and my favorite, cherry - which is what I prefer with PB&J. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2024, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-live-outside-the-usa-do-you-routinely-eat-grape-jelly/1011893/53 "2024-12-20T20:49:57Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > The jams in my supermarket are strawberry, raspberry and my favorite, cherry I don’t have statistics, but judging from personal experience (although I’m not a jam eater) these are the three most popular varieties in Germany too. Maybe also peach. But nobody eats them with peanut butter, which almost isn’t a thing here. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2024, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-live-outside-the-usa-do-you-routinely-eat-grape-jelly/1011893/54 "2024-12-20T21:00:32Z")
> [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](#): > > I don’t think I’ve ever seen, much ) had, grape jelly in Germany. Which is strange now that I think about it, virtually anything else seems to be readily jellied/jammed/marmaladed. When I was stationed there grape jelly was one of the things my German girlfriend would ask for from the PX. She got a taste for it while she was in the U.S. for college. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2024, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-live-outside-the-usa-do-you-routinely-eat-grape-jelly/1011893/55 "2024-12-20T23:47:19Z")
I grew a couple grape vines way back when we lived in a suitable climate. The concord vine was very productive and boy howdy did those taste “like grape” and then some. ( **Mrs. FtG** tried to make grape jelly from them but didn’t know you had to filter out the potassium bitartrate crystals before canning. Ugh.) Red, black and green grapes are the most common in US stores. There are also “cotton candy” grapes that come in a pink bag but are green. My favorite are Thompson seedless grapes but they are rarely available. Note that Thompsons are the goto type for most raisins. Seeded grapes are less popular. There’s a seedless concord type but it’s very uncommon and pricey. I friend in high school said he called grape flavored stuff “purple flavored” since they didn’t taste like the grapes he was familiar with. **Mrs. FtG** hates grape flavoring since it smells like pseudomonas bacteria they used to encounter in lab cultures. ---
**Author:** ![pirviii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pirviii/32/3233_2.png) [@pirviii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pirviii)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2024, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-live-outside-the-usa-do-you-routinely-eat-grape-jelly/1011893/56 "2024-12-21T03:16:47Z")
> [@ctnguy](#): > > Is the “J” of the classic PB&J specifically grape jelly? For me it’s grape jam. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2024, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-live-outside-the-usa-do-you-routinely-eat-grape-jelly/1011893/57 "2024-12-21T03:27:21Z")
> [@ctnguy](#): > > Is the “J” of the classic PB&J specifically grape jelly? It’s probably the archetypical “J” in the sandwich, but as others have said, not necessarily mandatory. I’d wager it’s the most common jelly/jam used in PB&Js eaten by kids, as the sweet flavor of Concord grape jelly has a certain “kid appeal.” ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2024, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-live-outside-the-usa-do-you-routinely-eat-grape-jelly/1011893/58 "2024-12-21T03:39:44Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > In fact, muscats are my favorite Ditto! ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2024, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-live-outside-the-usa-do-you-routinely-eat-grape-jelly/1011893/59 "2024-12-21T06:43:26Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > But Concord grapes are very tasty. You should try them fresh. I have, they were used as rootstock here to combat phylloxera, before other better rootstocks were found, and sometimes those vines were used as decoration and now fruit. Not the ideal climate for them, I believe. I do not like the taste at all. It’s musty. Also, very seedy, so not pleasant eating. ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2024, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-live-outside-the-usa-do-you-routinely-eat-grape-jelly/1011893/60 "2024-12-21T06:50:55Z")
> [@mozchron](#): > > It was my understanding that concord grapes make TERRIBLE wine, which is why they add a ton of sugar to it to make it palatable (rather than the grapes making super sweet wine by themselves). According to Bonne Maman, a French company who sells [grape jelly](https://www.bonnemaman.us/grape-jelly-1-oz.html?srsltid=AfmBOopEIBDgJt2-F-cvkvQdd1v9jIsOACEPBEvvjHYf51JlyznUbQzj) only in the US market: > The Muscat Grapes used in our recipe set this grape jelly apart from most others available in the U.S., which are made from Concord Grapes and require more sweetening. Based on what’s offered at breakfasts in hotels here, the favorite flavors are strawberry, raspberry and apricot. are the most popular flavors. My husband only likes strawberry, and it’s often out, so he’ll ask for it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-live-outside-the-usa-do-you-routinely-eat-grape-jelly/1011893.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-live-outside-the-usa-do-you-routinely-eat-grape-jelly/1011893.md?page=4)