# What's the difference between Jam, Jelly, and Marmalade? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 19, 2013, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-jam-jelly-and-marmalade/647663 "2013-01-19T00:06:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-jam-jelly-and-marmalade/647663/61 "2013-01-21T17:08:30Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Actually, they do. Apples are relatively high in pectin. They actually are a commercial source of pectin, along with citrus. Right you are. I suppose the sugar content or pH is out of whack. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-jam-jelly-and-marmalade/647663/62 "2013-01-21T17:19:09Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > Sez who? Cold cut sandwiches with butter is one of my fondest childhood memories. I grew up with them, too, but my parents were both born in Poland. Butter or margarine on sandwiches in the US is not all that common. This has been discussed on the Dope before, I’m pretty sure. I’m actually a bit surprised at how weird some people find it, because it’s perfectly normal to me. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-jam-jelly-and-marmalade/647663/63 "2013-01-21T17:26:49Z")
I’ve never run into anyone who thought butter as a sandwich spread was weird, just bland. ---
**Author:** ![colander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e8c25b/32.png) [@colander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colander)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-jam-jelly-and-marmalade/647663/64 "2013-01-21T19:17:05Z")
The American Midwest has some regions where jello “salads” are extremely common. These (rather unappetizing, in my opinion) dishes can contain pretty much anything, from whipped Crisco to hot dogs to cheese shreds. I once visited with a Minnesota native who served plain jello with a dish of mayonnaise which was apparently meant to be a spread. ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-jam-jelly-and-marmalade/647663/65 "2013-01-21T19:24:14Z")
> [@colander](#): > > The American Midwest has some regions where jello “salads” are extremely common. These (rather unappetizing, in my opinion) dishes can contain pretty much anything, from whipped Crisco to hot dogs to cheese shreds. I once visited with a Minnesota native who served plain jello with a dish of mayonnaise which was apparently meant to be a spread. … and you think we’re weird for combining one sweet dessert with another? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-jam-jelly-and-marmalade/647663/66 "2013-01-21T19:32:19Z")
Crazy people live everywhere. I’ve lived in Minnesota all my life and no one’s ever tried to serve me plain jello (as in, a block of unflavored gelatin?) and mayo. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-jam-jelly-and-marmalade/647663/67 "2013-01-21T19:52:35Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > I’ve never run into anyone who thought butter as a sandwich spread was weird, just bland. Yeah, it would be bland on its own. Though freshly-baked bread with real butter is delicious. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-jam-jelly-and-marmalade/647663/68 "2013-01-21T20:04:19Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > I’ve never had a sandwich (or hamburger, for that matter) in the US which had butter, margarine, or olive spread applied to it. One exception to olive spread: muffaletta sandwiches. Well, it’s more of an olive salad, but conceptually the same. Granted, it’s more of an American (specifically New Orleans - which is an outlier for American cuisine, anyway) take on a Sicilian style sandwich, but it’s still there. Kind of hard to find a decent one away from New Orleans, though there are a few shops here in the Houston/Galveston area you can get a decent one. ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-jam-jelly-and-marmalade/647663/69 "2013-01-21T20:08:05Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Butter on sandwiches (other than grilled cheese, of course, but that’s different) is uncommon to most Americans, but I don’t think anyone would consider it _alien_, in the same way as gelatin with ice cream. The former would elicit a response of “Huh, OK, I guess I could do that”, while the latter would be “Wait, what? Are you sure?”. You do see such sammiches more in the Midwest - it’s not that uncommon in rural areas around here to have ham sandwiches at large gatherings which have been spread with butter instead of mayo or whatever. And it’s almost always ham sandwiches, never turkey or roast beef. At least, from what I’ve seen. I bet it’s more uncommon to see them in urban areas, though. Maybe. There’s also the butter burger phenomenon, as popularized first in Milwaukee (I think). Toasted hamburger buns slathered with butter which you then add the hamburger (or cheeseburger) to. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-jam-jelly-and-marmalade/647663/70 "2013-01-21T20:18:22Z")
My mother always put butter on her sandwiches. Even on PBJ. I think maybe it stopped the J from leaking through the bread. But on lunchmeat sandwiches, or meatloaf sandwiches, pretty much anything between two slices of bread, she inserted butter. Of course, she loved butter. She’d run every kernel of popcorn over a stick of room-temp butter before eating it. StG ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-jam-jelly-and-marmalade/647663/71 "2013-01-21T20:38:13Z")
> [@](#): > > There’s also the butter burger phenomenon, as popularized first in Milwaukee (I think). Toasted hamburger buns slathered with butter which you then add the hamburger (or cheeseburger) to. Sometimes the buns are slathered in melted butter and then grilled or toasted, as opposed to being toasted first and then buttered. There are some sandwiches, like patty melts and Reubens, in which the sandwich is assembled and then grilled, as well. I’ve never come across a sandwich that had butter spread on cold bread, unless the bread was then toasted or grilled. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-jam-jelly-and-marmalade/647663/72 "2013-01-21T22:15:52Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > That’s what it was that I had! Simply Fruit. And it should be called Simply the Bomb because it was delicious. The best flavors are the cherry (black cherry? dark cherry?) which is easy to find and the o-so-rare “peach” one, which only one or two stores in town carry. The apricot is gross and is NOT a substitute for the peach. Beware! ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2013, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-jam-jelly-and-marmalade/647663/73 "2013-01-22T00:20:50Z")
> [@getitrite](#): > > Marmalade is generally distinguished from jam by its fruit peel. Marmalade is a fruit preserve made from the juice and peel of citrus fruits boiled with sugar and water. It can be produced from lemons, limes, grapefruits, mandarins, sweet oranges, bergamots and other citrus fruits, or any combination thereof. Thanks for that info. DH and I watched an episode of “Good Eats” recently that had orange marmalade being made. DH isn’t that fond of oranges, but we both like limes, so we were wondering if a lime marmalade would work. Looks like it would. ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2013, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-jam-jelly-and-marmalade/647663/74 "2013-01-22T00:33:09Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > I’ve never had a sandwich (or hamburger, for that matter) in the US which had butter, margarine, or olive spread applied to it. The very idea was met with bemusement by most of those I spoke with. > > Then again, I do come from a country where a Real Hamburger ™ includes beetroot. 😉 I’m USian, and my grandfather would put butter on a PBJ, along with the customary ingredients. Not to my liking. When he visited Australia, he was a bit surprised by beet and/or fried egg on burgers. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2013, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-jam-jelly-and-marmalade/647663/75 "2013-01-22T01:51:18Z")
And then there’s something my mom makes that she calls “garden marmalade”, which is made from tomatoes, basil, and garlic. It sounds really weird, but it’s wonderful on bread and butter. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2013, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-jam-jelly-and-marmalade/647663/76 "2013-01-22T02:25:35Z")
> [@Apollyon](#): > > Yep, all of these are familiar more or less; I have in front of me the "Edmonds Cookery an unfortunate local commercial experiment with savoury yogurt that had bits of vegetable chopped into it. :eek: Not sure about putting vegetables in my yogurt, but I did have some absolutely wonderful garlic yogurt the first time I visited Crete. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2013, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-jam-jelly-and-marmalade/647663/77 "2013-01-22T02:28:03Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Butter on sandwiches (other than grilled cheese, of course, but that’s different) is uncommon to most Americans, but I don’t think anyone would consider it _alien_, in the same way as gelatin with ice cream. The former would elicit a response of “Huh, OK, I guess I could do that”, while the latter would be “Wait, what? Are you sure?”. Butter on cold sandwiches isn’t weird - I’ve known plenty of people who do that - but it _is_ disgusting. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2013, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-jam-jelly-and-marmalade/647663/78 "2013-01-22T02:31:39Z")
> [@Seanette](#): > > Thanks for that info. DH and I watched an episode of “Good Eats” recently that had orange marmalade being made. DH isn’t that fond of oranges, but we both like limes, so we were wondering if a lime marmalade would work. Looks like it would. Oh, [definitely](https://www.google.com/#hl=en&sugexp=les%3B&gs_rn=1&gs_ri=hp&tok=1vd3yHBPAkDLvVlT00bTpg&cp=8&gs_id=u&xhr=t&q=lime+marmalade&es_nrs=true&pf=p&safe=off&tbo=d&output=search&sclient=psy-ab&oq=lime+mar&gs_l=&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&bvm=bv.41248874,d.cWE&fp=f6bd8b83f9427bdd&biw=1280&bih=643)! ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2013, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-jam-jelly-and-marmalade/647663/79 "2013-01-22T03:56:52Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > One exception to olive spread: muffaletta sandwiches. Well, it’s more of an olive salad, but conceptually the same. I think–but I may be wrong–that **Martini** meant olive oil spread, given the conceptual pairing with butter and margarine. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2013, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-jam-jelly-and-marmalade/647663/80 "2013-01-22T06:30:23Z")
Ye olde Jell-O salad recipes are less weird if you know about [aspic](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspic) and the [discontinued Jell-O flavors](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jello#Discontinued_flavors); Celery, Italian Salad, Mixed Vegetable, and Seasoned Tomato. The other problem is texture. Using the directions on the box makes a gelatine that’s too strong, > [@](#): > > [Aspic](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspic) is a dish in which ingredients are set into a gelatin made from a meat stock or consommé. Non-savory dishes, often made with commercial gelatin mixes without stock or consommé, are usually called gelatin salads. … > > … Aspics are usually served on cold plates so that the gel will not melt before being eaten. … > > … Nearly any type of meat can be used to make the gelatin: pork, beef, veal, chicken, turkey, or fish. The aspic may need additional gelatin in order to set properly. Veal stock provides a great deal of gelatin; in making stock, veal is often included with other meat for that reason. Fish consommés usually have too little natural gelatin, so the fish stock may be double-cooked or supplemented. Since fish gelatin melts at a lower temperature than gelatins of other meats, fish aspic is more delicate and melts more readily in the mouth. … CMC [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-jam-jelly-and-marmalade/647663.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-jam-jelly-and-marmalade/647663.md?page=5)