Marmalade

Marmalade (from the Portuguese marmelada)^[1] is a fruit preserve made from the juice and peel of citrus fruits boiled with sugar and water. The well-known version is made from bitter orange, but other citrus fruits such as lemons and limes can also be used. The bitter orange is mostly used in marmalade because of its high pectin content, which gives a thick consistency to its marmalade. Fruits with low pectin have it added to make the marmalade.

Historically, the term marmalade was often used for non-citrus preserves. Mango, pineapple, apricot, and cocoa beans, have been made into marmalade in those cases. Today, it now means jam made with citrus fruits. Modern marmalade has existed since the 1700s when the Scottish added water to marmalade to make it less solid than before.

Marmalade is regulated in different countries, with various rules for creation. The preserve has been mentioned in various books and is Paddington Bear's favorite food.

The Scottish are credited with developing marmalade as a spread, with Scottish recipes in the 18th century using more water to produce a less solid preserve than before.^[2]

The first printed recipe for orange marmalade, though without the chunks typically used now, was in Mary Kettilby's 1714 cookery book, A Collection of Above Three Hundred Receipts (pages 78–79).^[3][4][5] Kettilby called for whole oranges, lemon juice and sugar, with the acid in the lemon juice helping to create the pectin set of marmalade, by boiling the lemon and orange juice with the pulp.^[2][5] Kettilby then directs: "boil the whole pretty fast 'till it will jelly" – the first known use of the word "jelly" in marmalade making. Kettilby then instructs that the mixture is then poured into glasses, covered and left until set. As the acid would create a jelly, this meant that the mixture could be pulled from the heat before it had turned to a paste, keeping the marmalade much brighter and the appearance more translucent, as in modern-day marmalade.^[2]

The Scottish were the people who made marmalade a breakfast item. James Boswell and Samuel Johnson were given it at breakfast while in Scotland in 1773. In the 19th century, the English followed the Scottish and began to eat marmalade in the morning. The American writer Louisa May Alcott visited Britain, and later described "a choice pot of marmalade and a slice of cold ham" to be "essentials of English table comfort".^[5]

The word Marmalade in the English language comes from French marmelade which, in turn, came from the Portuguese word marmelada.^[6] According to José Pedro Machado's Dicionário Etimológico da Língua Portuguesa, the oldest known document where this Portuguese word is to be found is Gil Vicente's play Comédia de Rubena, written in 1521:

Temos tanta marmelada (transl. We have so much quince jelly.)

Que a minha mãe vai me dar um pouco (transl. That my mother will give me some.)^[7]

The Portuguese word comes from the Latin melimelum or "a sweet apple",^[8] in turn from Greek μελίμηλον melimēlon 'sweet apple', from μέλη 'honey' + μῆλον mēlon 'apple, round fruit', became Galician-Portuguese marmelo 'quince'.^[9] The name originated in the 16th century from Middle French marmelade and Portuguese, where marmelada applied to quince jam.^[10][11] The English recipe book of Eliza Cholmondeley, dated from 1677 and held at the Chester Record Office in the Cheshire county archives, has one of the earliest marmalade recipes ("Marmelet of Oranges") which produced a firm, thick dark paste.^[2] The modern definition of marmalade is a jam made from citrus fruits rather than quince.^[12]

According to a Scottish legend, the creation of orange marmalade in the Scottish city of Dundee occurred by accident. The legend tells of a ship carrying a cargo of oranges that broke down in the port, resulting in some ingenious locals making marmalade out of the cargo.^[13][14] Since then, the city has had a long association with marmalade.^[15] However, this legend was "decisively disproved by food historians", according to a New York Times report.^[16]

A folk etymology asserts that Mary, Queen of Scots ate marmalade as a treatment for seasickness,^[17] and that the name is derived from her maids' whisper of Marie est malade ('Mary is ill'). In reality, the word's origin has nothing to do with Mary.^[18]

Marmalade is made from the juice and peel of citrus fruits boiled with sugar and water. It can be made from bitter orange, lemons, limes, grapefruits, mandarins, sweet oranges, bergamots,^[19] blood oranges, clementines, kumquats,^[20] navel oranges,^[21] citrus taiwanica,^[22][23] or a combination. Citrus is the most typical choice of fruit for marmalade, though historically the term has often been used for non-citrus preserves.^[19] Marmalade made from citrus taiwanica have earned international acclaim, winning three gold, eight silver, and eight bronze medals at the Dalemain World Marmalade Awards in the United Kingdom.^[23]

In Britain, marmalade is usually made from the bitter or Seville orange. It is favoured because of its naturally high pectin content, which gives a thick consistency to the marmalade.^[24] Fruits with normally low pectin have it added to make the marmalade a jelly.^[20]

Marmalade has been made from fruits like mango and pineapple in mixed fruit marmalades.^[25] Apricots in addition are also made into marmalade. Mucilage from cocoa beans has also been produced into marmalade. Analyses did not show any significant difference in taste, color, or consistency compared to apricot marmalade.^[26]

Marmalade can be served at room temperature or slightly cooler. The preserve can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 months before going bad.^[27] Marmalade can be served on toast.^[21]

James Keiller and his mother, Janet, ran a small sweet and preserves shop in the Seagate area of Dundee.^[13] They then began to produce "Dundee Marmalade". The business prospered, and remains a signature marmalade producer today.^[28]

The Frank Cooper Oxford Marmalade manufacturing business sold marmalade in 1874. It started out first for just for Oxford students, but the business expanded all over England and abroad.^[29]

Robertson's was founded in 1864 by Paisley, Renfrewshire, grocer James Robertson and his wife Marion. The business was known for making Golden Shred marmalade. Today, it no longer exists, and is now owned by Premier Foods, though they still make the same product Golden Shred.^[30]

The global orange marmalade market size was valued at USD$1.5 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach US$2.6 billion by 2032, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 6.2% during the period.^[31] The marmalade market lies in its versatility, cultural associations, and quality, making it a staple in households and gourmet menus around the world.^[32]

The following is the percent of marmalade market revenue per region in the world as of 2023:^[33]

North America has the largest of the total revenue of marmalade in the world, with the Asia Pacific emerging as the fastest-growing region, from rising consumer sells in countries like China and India.^[33]

Supermarkets have the most marmalade sales, having 45% of the total market share, due to widespread availability. They are followed by convenience stores (30%), and online stores (15%), while other distribution channels make up 10%. Online stores are expected to grow the fastest, as e-commerce continues to expand in the world.^[33]

The most sold marmalade is bitter orange with the largest share of 55% of sales, followed by sweet orange marmalade at 40%. All the other marmalades count for 5%. The fastest-growing sub-segment is sweet orange marmalade, driven by increasing consumer preference for milder flavors.^[33]

Under the Canadian Food and Drug Regulations (C.R.C., c. 870), marmalade is a standardized food and defined as a food of jelly-like composition that consists of at least 65% water-soluble solids. The regulations permit the use of pH adjusting agents to prevent the marmalade from dehydration, antifoaming agents to prevent blemishes on surface coatings and enable efficient filling of containers, and an acid ingredient to compensate for the natural acidity of the citrus fruit used. If pectin is added, the marmalade must contain at least 27% of peel, pulp, or juice of citrus fruit. Class II preservatives may also be used.^[34]

The Canadian Food and Drug Regulations (C.R.C., c. 870) specify that pineapple or fig marmalade must be of jelly-like consistency, achieved by boiling the pulp of juice of the fruit with water, and a sweetening ingredient. Pineapple or fig marmalade should contain at least 45% of the named fruit.^[34]

In the United States, marmalade should contain at least 65 percent soluble solids,^[35][36] and have at least 70 points to be ranked U.S. Grade B or U.S. Choice.^[36]

It used be that the European Union officially called all jam made from citrus fruits marmalade.^[12][37] In 2024, a draft that would let member states authorise the use of the term "marmalade" as instead only an alternative for “jam”.^[37] When the draft came into law, territories in the European Union became able to use the phrase for all types of jam.^[38]

Paddington Bear is known for his liking of marmalade, particularly in sandwiches, since he keeps it in his hat wherever he goes.^[39] Paddington Bear is now used on the label of the smaller peel ("shred") and clearer/milder Robertson's "Golden Shred" marmalade, in place of the previous icon, "Golliwog", which is considered racially offensive. The 2014 movie Paddington led to a slight increase in marmalade sales in the United Kingdom.^[40]

In Agatha Christie's 1953 detective novel A Pocket Full of Rye, the first victim of the murderer is given poison hidden in orange marmalade consumed at breakfast.^[41] The use of marmalade represents how food can be used to contain poison,^[42] and how poison can be hidden in the sweetness of food,^[43] which are generally rare topics in books.^[42]

In Jane Austen's 1811 novel Sense and Sensibility an over-indulgent mother feeds apricot marmalade to her fussy three-year-old child who has been slightly scratched by a pin in the mother's hair. The narrator mocks the mother and child “that she could taste no greater delight than in making a fillagree basket for a spoilt child”.^[44]

• Murabba, whole fruit perserve
• List of spreads, the list of spreads
• Succade, candied citrus peel, especially that of the citron
• Zest (ingredient), citrus ingredient

• Wilson, C. Anne (1999) [1985]. The Book of Marmalade: its antecedents, its history and its rôle in the world today together with a collection of recipes for marmalades & marmalade cookery (2 ed.). Constable. ISBN 0-09-465670-3.

• Allen, Brigid (1989). Cooper's Oxford: A history of Frank Cooper Limited.
• Mathew, W. M. Keiller's Of Dundee: The Rise of the Marmalade Dynasty 1800–1879.
• Mathew, W. M. The Secret History of Guernsey Marmalade.

• Media related to Marmalade at Wikimedia Commons