Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[nawee]

Hello,

What's the difference between jam, fruit preserve and fruit spread? All of them can be eaten with bread and butter, right? Is it just a marketing thing to name this type of product differently? Is there a generic word that can be used to refer to this "fruit paste in a jar"?

Thank you,

Nawee

[Mister Micawber]

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I personally have never heard of fruit spread or fruit paste, both of which sound quite unappetizing. Jam is generally more homogeneous than preserves, I think-- the latter can show pieces of fruit. (Or am I talking of jelly vs. jam?)
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_________________
"I really do not know that anything has ever been more exciting than diagramming sentences." � Gertrude Stein
...............
Canadian-American who teaches English for a living at Mr Micawber's

[CP]

Jam, or preserves, has chunks of the fruit in it, while jelly is just a homogeneous gelatinous mass. Jam is better, and it makes a better sandwich, especially with peanut butter. Nevertheless, a peanut butter sandwich with either jam or jelly is usally called "a peanut butter and jelly sandwich" by most people.

As Mr. Micawber says, or implies, neither jam, jelly, nor preserves is called "fruit spread" or "fruit paste." But now I envision someone marketing fruit paste in tubes, like toothpaste, to be squirted onto bread or crackers . . . I'm feeling a little ill now.
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You live a new life for every new language you speak. -Czech proverb

[nawee]

So "jam" and "preserve" are basically the same thing? One time I referred to what was in the "preserve" jar as "jam" and was told that it wasn't "jam" and that it was "preserve". So I thought there was some fundamental difference between them, maybe in the way they were made.

Umm... now why would a company produces both "Rasberry Jam" and "Rasberry Preserve" and, if I remember correctly, charge us a bit more for the "preserve"? :S And I have always had this feeling (rightly or wrongly) that "preserve" is of a better quality and has more fruit in it. Must be a marketing thing then...and it works!

Nawee

[Lorikeet]

I'm looking at a jar of "organic cherry fruit spread" which is, in effect, the same kind of thing as preserves. I think perhaps it may have slightly different ingredients. This one has cherries, grape juice concentrate, fruit pectin, vitamin C and citric acid

[Anuradha Chepur]

In India, one company calls it jam and another calls it fruit spread. We also have marmalade, which is made of citrus fruits.

[Mister Micawber]

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Ah, marmalade! I'm getting hungry.
_________________
"I really do not know that anything has ever been more exciting than diagramming sentences." � Gertrude Stein
...............
Canadian-American who teaches English for a living at Mr Micawber's

[asterix]

Peobably, Fruit Preserve is a fancy name for jam (so you can charge more for it) but Marmalade RULES.

[redset]

Wikipedia strikes again!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jam