Marmalade Awards
Mar 14
Other Scottish Country Dances for this Day
Today's Musings, History & Folklore
" A choice pot of marmalade and a slice of cold ham ... essentials of English comfort."
~ Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888)
A staple of a British breakfast, English and Scottish migrants took marmalade with them to Canada with them, where it remains popular to this day. Americans, on the other hand, are less enthused by it perhaps because sweet oranges, rather than the more bitter Sevilles, are readily available.
The Marmalade Maker
Today marks the announcement of the winners of this year's Marmalade competition held at Dalemain Mansions & Gardens at Penrith, Cumbria.
Originally, marmalade was a quince preserve "consisting of a sweet, solid, quince jelly but with the spices replaced by flavourings of rose water and musk or ambergris, and cut into squares for eating .”
By the 16th century, the candied flesh of oranges imported from Spain and Portugal began to be more popularly used to make pastes alongside the preserving of the peel. Preserved candied peels became favorite additions to cake recipes, leading to the increased association of Seville orange flavour with other preserves, such as marmalades.
In 1797, James Keiller and his wife Janet, who ran a small sweet and preserves shop in the Seagate section of Dundee, opened a factory to produce the famous "Dundee Marmalade", a preserve distinguished by thick chunks of bitter Seville orange rind.
And for more on this year's marmalade festival and winners, click the jars of marmalade at the competition.
