Editing Marmalade (section)

== Origins ==

[[File:Flickr - cyclonebill - Bolle med appelsinmarmelade.jpg|thumb|Marmalade spread on bread]]

The Romans learned from the Greeks that [[quince]]s slowly cooked with honey would "set" when cool.  The ''[[Apicius]]'' gives a recipe for preserving whole quinces, stems and leaves attached, in a bath of honey diluted with [[defrutum]]—Roman marmalade. Preserves of quince and lemon appear—along with rose, apple, plum and pear—in the [[De Ceremoniis|''Book of ceremonies'']] of the Byzantine Emperor [[Constantine VII|Constantine VII ''{{lang|grc-Latn|Porphyrogennetos|nocat=y}}'']].<ref name="MS"/>

Medieval quince preserves, which went by the French name ''{{lang|fr|cotignac}}'', produced in a clear version and a fruit pulp version, began to lose their medieval seasoning of spices in the 16th century. In the 17th century, [[François Pierre La Varenne|La Varenne]] provided recipes for both thick and clear ''{{lang|fr|cotignac}}''.<ref name="Wilson">{{harvnb|Wilson|1999|p=32 ff}}</ref>

In 1524, [[Henry VIII]] received a "box of marmalade" from Mr Hull of Exeter.<ref>Public Record Office, ''Letters and Papers, Foreign & Domestic, of the reign of Henry VIII'', vol. 6 (London, 1870) p. 339, noted by {{harvnb|Wilson|1999|p=31 ff}} and by other writers.</ref> As it was in a box, this was probably ''{{lang|pt|marmelada}}'', a solid [[quince cheese|quince paste]] from Portugal, still made and sold in southern Europe. "Marmalet" was served at the wedding banquet of the daughter of [[John Neville II|John Neville]] in [[Yorkshire]] in 1530.<ref>[[Francis Peck|Peck, Francis]], ''Desiderata Curiosa'', vol. 2 (London, 1779), p. 249.</ref> Its Portuguese origins can be detected in the remarks in letters to [[Arthur Plantagenet, 1st Viscount Lisle|Lord Lisle]], from William Grett, 12 May 1534, "I have sent to your lordship a box of marmaladoo, and another unto my good lady your wife" and from Richard Lee, 14 December 1536, "He most heartily thanketh her Ladyship for her marmalado".<ref name="Wilson"/>

[[File:JamesRobertson.jpg|thumb|upright|Scottish grocer [[Robertson's|James Robertson]] created Golden Shred marmalade in 1864.]]

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. The Scots are credited with developing marmalade as a spread, with Scottish recipes in the 18th century using more water to produce a less solid preserve.<ref name="Henry">Henry, Diana (2012). "Salt Sugar Smoke: How to preserve fruit, vegetables, meat and fish". Hachette UK</ref>

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).<ref name="Indie">{{cite news |last=Bateman |first=Michael |title=Hail marmalade, great chieftain o' the jammy race: Mrs Keiller of Dundee added chunks in the 1790s, thus finally defining a uniquely British gift to gastronomy |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/food-drink-hail-marmalade-great-chieftain-o-the-jammy-race-mrs-keiller-of-dundee-added-chunks-in-the-1476300.html |access-date=15 February 2016 |agency=[[The Independent]] |date=3 January 1993}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Wilson|1999}} (cited in ''The Independent'')</ref><ref name="Spread">{{cite news |title=Spread over centuries |url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/08/19/1061261128384.html|work=The Age|issue=19 August 2003 |date=8 June 2015}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Henry"/><ref name="Spread"/> 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.<ref name="Henry"/>

The Scots moved marmalade to the breakfast table, and in the 19th century, the English followed the Scottish example and abandoned the eating of marmalade in the evening. Marmalade's place in British life appears in literature. [[James Boswell]] remarks that he and [[Samuel Johnson]] were offered it at breakfast in Scotland in 1773. When American writer [[Louisa May Alcott]] visited Britain in the 1800s, she described "a choice pot of marmalade and a slice of cold ham" as "essentials of English table comfort".<ref name="Spread"/>