Why some fruits are less common for making jam?
Some fruits are more common to make jam from them (like peach in Hungary), but sometimes even widely available fruits are not common to make jams (like grape). What's the reason and what is it depends on?
Best Answer
The historical purpose of jam is to preserve fruit from a time of bounty to a time when it is less plentiful.
Therefore, to be a candidate for jam making, the fruit must be reasonably plentiful in the region where it would be preserved.
Technically, in order to form a jam or a jelly, there must be sufficient pectin and sufficient acid in the fruit to thicken it. In some regions, there are traditional combinations of high and low pectin fruits, in order to get a viable jam from the low pectin fruit.
Some fruits need acid, in the form of vinegar or lemon juice usually, added in order to help them gel; others need additional pectin. Canning Homemade has lists of high, medium, and low pectin fruits.
Other than this, it is down to the cultural preferences in a given region.
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Why raw fruits are not selected for making jam?
Only few fruits contain a sufficient amount of pectin and acid to produce good jelly or jam. Other fruits may be rich in pectin but low in acid or vice versa. Such deficiencies can be compensated for by adding commercial pectin and/or acid (lemon juice, citric acid, vinegar).Can any fruit be made into jam?
Nearly any fruit can be used, but the best jam comes from juicy specimens with a balance of sweet and tart flavors and high amounts of naturally occurring pectin, like raspberries, blueberries, plums and apricots.Which is important in the selection of fruits for good jam making?
Fruit: If you're jam making for the first time, it's best to start with high pectin types of fruit like citrus, apples, cranberries, currants, plums, and quince. Sugar: Besides sweetening the flavor, sugar works with the pectin and fruit acids to create the gel texture that indicates a proper jam.How do you select fruits for making jam?
A good jam needs firm, ripe fruit. A jam made from overripe fruit will result in a soft set due to the low levels of acid and pectin, whilst a jam made from under ripe fruit will have less juice and will therefore result in a poor, lack of flavour.The Easiest Way To Make Any Homemade Fruit Jam (feat. Krewella)
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Answer 2
When I make jam/jelly/preserves/marmalade/butter at home, I tend to get creative with the flavors and types of ingredients used. For instance, I make a brown sugar orange jelly that is delicious! I don't care for the rind in most marmalades, so I find creative ways to get rid of them. Making orange juice and turning it into a jelly is one way. :)
To answer your question about making grape jam, I think the answer lies with the fruit itself. Have you ever eaten a grape in parts (skin separately and then the meat of the grape)? The skin is very bitter when it's by itself. I would guess that is the main reason you don't see grape jam. The skin bits in the jam would make it too bitter or have random bitter flavors coming through. You could peel the grapes and then make jam, but that's extremely tedious.
There are so many options when making jam, etc. at home that you could come up with. IMO, the store bought stuff (unless a specialty or gourmet product) tends to stick with the tried and true flavors that are known sellers.
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