# 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:** 5
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2013, 9:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-jam-jelly-and-marmalade/647663/81 "2013-01-22T09:22:41Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I think–but I may be wrong–that **Martini** meant olive oil spread, given the conceptual pairing with butter and margarine. That’s the stuff I meant, it’s like butter or marge but uses olive oil instead of milk/canola/sunflower/vegetable oil. Tapenade (a spread not unlike pesto, but made from olives) is very nice but doesn’t really go well in sandwiches, IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2013, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-jam-jelly-and-marmalade/647663/82 "2013-01-23T00:12:57Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > The key difference with jelly is that it’s, well, gelatinous. It has the semi-solid, ‘set’ consistency of Jell-O. The others do not. (It’s also why I find it gross!) As already stated, jelly uses pectin, and while gelatinous, is fruit juice. Jello, on the other hand, is gelatin, and any fruit flavoring is artificially added. I have to wonder how you find jelly gross, but jam not gross. Jam is the same stuff, but with bits in it. > [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > Jelly is gelatinous and typically a dessert food. Contains no actual fruit unless you mix some in before it sets. Goes well with ice-cream. > [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > I’m not sure how it could be unclear since I specifically described Jelly as a gelatinous dessert food, clearly differentiated from things which go on toast or in sandwiches (ie jam and marmalade). Color this American confused. I didn’t understand why you were saying that jelly didn’t have any actual fruit, because it is real fruit juice, but no fruit bits. I wouldn’t eat either jelly or jello with ice cream, so that didn’t help clarify. And gelatinous suggests texture rather than composition. Because jelly is congealed and shaky kinda like jello. > [@Ruken](#): > > I don’t think apples have enough pectin to gel, so I wouldn’t lump it in with the others. If you read the lable, pretty much all jellies, jams, etc have added pectin. And there is such thing as apple jelly. It used to be my favorite. (As a kid, oddly I wasn’t as fond of grape jelly as everyone else. It was apple for me. As an adult, I like grape okay, and prefer strawberry jam. Recently got introduced to peach jelly/jam that was ambrosia.) > [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > I’m still really surprised to discover Americans don’t eat jelly and ice-cream. I just would never have thought of that. I mean, [del]cool whip[/del] whipped cream sure, but not ice cream. Just a thing. > [@](#): > > I was going to say that’s like eating sandwiches without butter/margarine/olive spread, but apparently the Yanks don’t do that either. What, in place of mayonnaise? Or in addition to mayonnaise? And I can’t think of a reason to put it on pbj. That’s just gross. The peanut butter is plenty oily. > [@crowmanyclouds](#): > > 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. Yes, Jell-o is the greatest culinary deception of the 20th century. They’ve managed to convince a generation (or 2) of kids that gelatin is _fruit_. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2013, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-jam-jelly-and-marmalade/647663/83 "2013-01-23T00:21:40Z")
Apple jelly usually has added pectin; while apples are a rich source of pectin, I don’t think they generally have enough on their own for jelly. There may be some varieties that do, but most recipes call for added pectin (although not as much added pectin as other fruit jellies). Apple butter isn’t jam because it doesn’t have added pectin, and the pectin of the apples is cooked so long that it breaks down and doesn’t thicken the apple butter. Apple butter is thick because it’s so concentrated, being cooked a very long time, and the water evaporated out. Apple butter is essentially apple sauce that’s been cooked longer. ---
**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 23, 2013, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-jam-jelly-and-marmalade/647663/84 "2013-01-23T02:16:08Z")
Actually, jelly (or more likely, jam) on ice cream seems perfectly reasonable to me. You could make a strawberry sundae, for instance, with ice cream, strawberry jam, and whipped cream. And I know that some of the preserves my mom makes don’t need any added pectin, but I’m not sure which ones. I’ll have to ask her next time we talk. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2013, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-jam-jelly-and-marmalade/647663/85 "2013-01-23T02:21:43Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Apple jelly usually has added pectin; while apples are a rich source of pectin, I don’t think they generally have enough on their own for jelly. Yes, actually they _do_ - I have made apply jelly and apple jam from scratch. You don’t _need_ to add pectin. You _do_ have to start with actual apples and not just the juice, though, because the juice on its own doesn’t have the pectin. The apple variety does make a difference. I had my best success with crab apples. Red delicious, meh, not so much. It is a bit more touchy than when you add pectin, you can over cook it or under cook it and not have a very gelled jelly. Adding additional pectin makes the result more certain, hence why recipes say to add more. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2013, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-jam-jelly-and-marmalade/647663/86 "2013-01-23T05:35:41Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Actually, jelly (or more likely, jam) on ice cream seems perfectly reasonable to me. You could make a strawberry sundae, for instance, with ice cream, strawberry jam, and whipped cream. My dad (an American) sometimes puts a little jam on his ice cream. Usually either strawberry or blackberry. ---
**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 23, 2013, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-jam-jelly-and-marmalade/647663/87 "2013-01-23T06:22:55Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > That’s the stuff I meant, it’s like butter or marge but uses olive oil instead of milk/canola/sunflower/vegetable oil. > > Tapenade (a spread not unlike pesto, but made from olives) is very nice but doesn’t really go well in sandwiches, IMHO. I think it’s quite lovely in sandwiches. I mean, don’t you generally use it on crostini or something similar? (basically an open faced sandwich). It’s lovely in vegetarian sandwiches (try it with a roasted zucchini or eggplant sandwich, or even a grilled cheese), as well as sandwiches with spicy Italian meats. ---
**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 23, 2013, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-jam-jelly-and-marmalade/647663/88 "2013-01-23T07:34:34Z")
> [@Tangent](#): > > My dad (an American) sometimes puts a little jam on his ice cream. Usually either strawberry or blackberry. My mother-in-law once had a failed batch of nectarine jam. Worked great as an ice cream topping, just didn’t set/thicken properly and remained a liquid. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2013, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-jam-jelly-and-marmalade/647663/89 "2013-01-23T07:54:57Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > Color this American confused. I didn’t understand why you were saying that jelly didn’t have any actual fruit, because it is real fruit juice, but no fruit bits. It’s been a while since I looked at the ingredients of jelly but I don’t recall it actually having fruit juice in it - just colouring and flavouring. > [@](#): > > What, in place of mayonnaise? Or in addition to mayonnaise? And I can’t think of a reason to put it on pbj. That’s just gross. The peanut butter is plenty oily. I’m not really sure what mayonnaise would be doing in a sandwich that didn’t involve roast chicken or fish, but generally butter (being used here as a catch-all term for spreads also including margarine and olive oil spread) is applied to one side of each slice of bread - the side facing the filling, so to speak, I don’t know if Peanut Butter and Jam sandwiches are a thing here - I’ve certainly never seen an adult eating one. (I’m sure, as with everything else I post here, someone will be along shortly to tell me that I’m completely wrong and every single person in the universe except me does in fact do whatever thing it is that I’ve never seen anyone doing). ---
**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 23, 2013, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-jam-jelly-and-marmalade/647663/90 "2013-01-23T08:41:44Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > I’m not really sure what mayonnaise would be doing in a sandwich that didn’t involve roast chicken or fish, but generally butter (being used here as a catch-all term for spreads also including margarine and olive oil spread) is applied to one side of each slice of bread - the side facing the filling, so to speak, I use mayo on just about any meat-based cold sandwich. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2013, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-jam-jelly-and-marmalade/647663/91 "2013-01-23T09:44:02Z")
> [@Seanette](#): > > I use mayo on just about any meat-based cold sandwich. You see, to my Antipodean tastes, that’s [del]insane[/del] highly unorthodox and unusual. Then again, Marmite, so glass houses and small, geological projectiles and all that. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2013, 9:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-jam-jelly-and-marmalade/647663/92 "2013-01-23T09:50:19Z")
I don’t know why people think marmalade hasn’t got sugar in it, it has loads (at least as much, and sometimes more than, the fruit). It’s just more bitter than jam because it uses citrus fruits (not just oranges). It’s still incredibly sweet. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2013, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-jam-jelly-and-marmalade/647663/93 "2013-01-23T09:56:01Z")
> [@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?”. I can’t imagine why, they are both really sweet. It’s something for kids, really, as it’s so sloppy. The sort of thing you give to a child with tonsilitis. ---
**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 23, 2013, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-jam-jelly-and-marmalade/647663/94 "2013-01-23T10:36:57Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > I can’t imagine why, they are both really sweet. It’s something for kids, really, as it’s so sloppy. The sort of thing you give to a child with tonsilitis. It just seems like a really odd pairing of textures. I can see jello with whipped cream and even something like pudding or custard, but I can’t imagine pairing it with ice cream. I’m sure it tastes fine, it just seems completely goofy to me. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2013, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-jam-jelly-and-marmalade/647663/95 "2013-01-23T11:22:05Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > It’s been a while since I looked at the ingredients of jelly but I don’t recall it actually having fruit juice in it - just colouring and flavouring. As has been stated multiple times, American jelly is not Jello. Jelly is pectin-gelled sweetened juice that we spread on toast. It comes in unrefrigerated jars like jam and is kind of a pain to make. Jello is gelatin-gelled flavor that is purchased as an instant powder or as a refrigerated gel. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2013, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-jam-jelly-and-marmalade/647663/96 "2013-01-23T12:05:37Z")
I think that in Britain their gelatin dessert comes in condensed gelatinous cubes rather than in powdered form. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2013, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-jam-jelly-and-marmalade/647663/97 "2013-01-23T12:17:04Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > I think that in Britain their gelatin dessert comes in condensed gelatinous cubes rather than in powdered form. That’s right. My gran used to eat the cubes ‘neat’. Now that’s quite a sugar hit. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2013, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-jam-jelly-and-marmalade/647663/98 "2013-01-23T12:23:34Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > It just seems like a really odd pairing of textures. I can see jello with whipped cream and even something like pudding or custard, but I can’t imagine pairing it with ice cream. I’m sure it tastes fine, it just seems completely goofy to me. This discussion reminds me of a dessert my mother used to make. Back in the 1970s, when mums still stayed at home, it was normal in the UK to have dessert with every meal, and my mum was always scratching around for cheap and easy ideas. We would be presented with such things as chopped up bananas in warm custard, or a tin of raspberries poured over vanilla ice cream. Our favourite was [jelly and blancmange](http://squirrelbasket.wordpress.com/2010/11/09/things-of-the-past-jelly-and-blancmange/), which was the biggest lump of gooey, slurpy, sweet stuff you can imagine: Basically a layer of jelly with a layer of pink blancmange on top. You certainly didn’t need teeth to eat it. I’d hate it now. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2013, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-jam-jelly-and-marmalade/647663/99 "2013-01-23T14:13:32Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > I don’t know why people think marmalade hasn’t got sugar in it, it has loads (at least as much, and sometimes more than, the fruit). It’s just more bitter than jam because it uses citrus fruits (not just oranges). It’s still incredibly sweet. There is [sweet marmalade](http://www.the350degreeoven.com/2011/12/fruit/homemade-sweet-orange-marmalade-not-the-bitter-type/), which is incredibly sweet, and [bitter marmalade](http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/chefs-recipe-bitter-orange-marmalade/article1207526/), which is still sweet-ish, but not incredibly so. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2013, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-jam-jelly-and-marmalade/647663/100 "2013-01-23T15:17:00Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > There is [sweet marmalade](http://www.the350degreeoven.com/2011/12/fruit/homemade-sweet-orange-marmalade-not-the-bitter-type/), which is incredibly sweet, and [bitter marmalade](http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/chefs-recipe-bitter-orange-marmalade/article1207526/), which is still sweet-ish, but not incredibly so. That bitter orange marmalade still has more sugar in it than oranges. I haven’t come across what’s described as ‘sweet marmalade’, but note from the article linked, the bitter is ‘British’ which might be why that’s what I know. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-jam-jelly-and-marmalade/647663.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-jam-jelly-and-marmalade/647663.md?page=6)