Marmalade - exactly translated from French means "carefully prepared dish of the color of apples."
In many stores, marmalade is sold in bags, somewhere by weight, in candies, but in different countries, marmalade is eaten in different ways.
The history of marmalade
The history of marmalade in the East goes back millennia. It is believed that marmalade originated from Turkish delight, which was brewed from honey, fruit, starch and rose water. In Europe, marmalade appeared in the XIV century. European marmalade is less sweet but more fruity. Western Europe did not know sugar until the 16th century. Then a large flow of cheap American sugar poured into Europe and the production of sweet confectionery began. But all the marmalade looked like jam.
In France, a new kind of hard candy-like marmalade was invented. French pastry chefs noticed that not all fruits, when boiled, are capable of giving a mass that hardens to a solid state, only some, for example, quince, apricots, apples.
In America, the most common type of marmalade is jelly beans - bright jelly bean-shaped candies. And during the time of President Ronald Reagan, who adored this marmalade, jelly beans became the national pride of the United States.
In the West, marmalade is orange jam with large pieces of zest.
In the 19th century, people began to create artificial pectin, and the production of marmalade increased markedly, but real marmalade can only be made from apricots, quince and apples, to the base of which currants, cherries, plums and other fruits and berries were often added.
French pastry chefs added natural gum enhancers to the marmalade - a decoction of cartilage and meat of young calves, fish glue and vegetable gum.
In the XX century. artificial dyes and flavors, bone gelatin and starch, which are cheaper than natural gels, began to be added to the composition of marmalade.
In Germany in 1922, Hans Riegel, a confectionery factory owner, invented gummy bears, which became a favorite treat for children. By the 60s, many varieties of chocolates appeared, differing in color, taste and shape. Disney even directed the animated series Adventure of the Gummy Bears.
Legends of marmalade
Andrey Gelasimov in his book "Rachel" describes the origin of marmalade as follows:
Queen Mary Stuart of Scots once told her chef to sugar oranges. It is not known why. In the Middle Ages, such a delicacy was incomprehensible. When the oranges were ready, Maria's French maid came to the cook and said that Maria had lost her appetite. And, in front of the upset chef, the maid ate the whole dish herself, saying "Marie malade", which means "Mary is sick." Since then, this dish has been called "Mariemalade".
In Scotland, there is another legend about the appearance of marmalade. It was invented by a certain Janit Keiler at the beginning of the 18th century, when her husband bought a lot of oranges. The oranges were bitter, but Jenit made orange jam out of them, which later became known around the world. And the word "jam" comes from the name of the girl "Jenit".
