(Newswire.net — May 1, 2020) –Every year in Italy there’s a distinct season where people all start canning different sizes of jars and bottles with fruit preserves. They spend their weekend’s chopping and seeding the fruits to make different varieties of sweet and savoury based jam and spread preserves. Summers are the peak seasons for canning of ripened tomatoes, cherries, plum etc. During the winter season, citrus-based fruits are made into marmalades and jams.
Italy’s Tradition to Preserve
Italy has the long-standing tradition of preserving almost anything from meats to vegetables to even roots. This stems out from poor economic structure from the beginning and the necessity to be frugal, to make food last longer than it would generally, especially during the winter months in Italy. Today more and more people live in larger cities than in rural areas with plenty of lands to grow a garden. That’s why most rural areas in Italy not only bottle these preserves for themselves but to sell off to the markets as well.
The Different Types of Jam and Spreads from Italy
- Marmalade – marmalades are a specific type of bittersweet kind of preserve that comes from any citrus fruits, mostly found in the southern regions of Italy. Especially the areas of Amalfi Coast and Sorento are famously known for their sweet and pulp lemons that have fragrant rinds. The marmalades made with these lemons are very delicious and flavorful. They are perfect to be eaten with tarts, Neopolitan bread and butter. From the region of Sicily, the deep red blood oranges are treasured for their sweetness, especially in its marmalade form. You should opt to go for fruity citrus marmalades such as this.
- Jam – From the North to the South of Italy, there are far too many artisan jams to be tried. They all focus on featuring the best local fruit available. Pears are a favourite of the people from the North. Berries make their way into jams during the fall season. Quinces and apple jams are available during the winters. The Po River Valley is famous for the plenty of varieties of orchards in the area that grow anything from cherries, peaches, and nectarines to apricots. The best strawberry jams from this area can be found in online stores. Jam manufacturers in Italy hardly ever have to use any preservatives in their jams as the fruit themselves are of high quality. The ingredients list contains nothing other than fruit, sugar, and pectin.
- Honey Infused Jams – There is another kind of jam in Italy that uses honey to sweeten the non-sweet fruity jams such as chestnuts, acacia, wildflowers made from multiple blossoms of flowers found in the wild.
- Jelly – Jelly is basically homemade jello. These jellies are not as commonly used as jams or marmalades; however, they are used while having a go with a few gourmet items such as aged cheese with a pungent taste and smell.
- Mostarda – Mostarda is candied fruit preserved in syrups flavoured with oil or powder, like mustard oil. Generally, mostarda was consumed alongside any kind of boiled meat. However, nowadays they are eaten with aged cheeses as well. They can be used in baked items as well. The sweetness from mostarda alleviates the flavour of meats.
- Spreads – Yummy hazelnut cocoa spread is an essential staple item found in every home in Italy. It is the best spread on thick slices of ciabatta bread for a snack. They can also be used in cake recipes, had with panettones, in milky drinks, on toasts, croissants, brioches and even pancakes.
There are so many sweet recipes that you can make with these varieties of spreads, mostarda, jellies, marmalades and jams. Jammed jars are best used during this coronavirus period as they were sealed and hence not contaminated. They can be used to make quick homemade desserts such as mug cakes, cookies with jam, overnight oats or just scooped out and eaten for its sweetness. If you don’t already have them, make sure to buy them from authentically Italian stores online.