Jelly vs Marmalade: Difference and Comparison

Across all cuisines worldwide, some sort of fruit concoction is sure to be found. Jelly and Marmalade are two of the most prominent ones.

They are fruit-based preserves that are sometimes used in desserts, roasts, on slices of bread, or sometimes to enjoy fruit flavours off-season.

Key Takeaways

1. Jelly is made from fruit juice, while the marmalade is made from fruit pulp and peel.
2. Marmalade is more bitter than jelly due to the presence of the fruit peel.
3. Jelly has a smoother texture than marmalade.

Jelly vs Marmalade

Jelly is a type of fruit preserve made by cooking fruit juice with sugar and pectin, a natural thickening agent found in many fruits. Marmalade is a type of fruit preserve made with citrus fruit, oranges, and sometimes lemons or grapefruits. Marmalade is made by boiling the fruit.

Jelly is a concoction made from fruit juice, sugar, and thickeners like pectin. They are used in sandwiches along with peanut butter or to bring acidity to stews.

Its consistency is very soft but firm enough to hold the shape of the container in which it was cooled down, creating a wobble effect.

Marmalades are fruit concoctions made by boiling whole citrus fruits with peels in water and adding sugar. It is then cooked until it reduces to a thick consistency with a varied texture, including fruit rind and pulp.

The most popular Marmalade is made from oranges, the most consumed citrus fruit.

Comparison Table

Parameters of Comparison	Jelly	Marmalade
Consistency	It contains entire fruit segments with peels, rind, water, and sugar.	It has a thicker and coarser texture because of fruit pulp and peels.
Ingredients	It contains fruit juice, pectin or gelatin, sugar, and water.	The ingredients except thickener are boiled, and then thickener is added and the mixture is cooled in molds.
Method of Preparation	It originated because of a lack of bacon for the Hungarian troops, who ate this fruit product instead.	All the ingredients are boiled and cooled at room temperature.
Origin	The Portuguese created it in the late 15th century.	Jellies have more sugar content and artificial thickeners as well therefore, they are not very healthy.
Health	Marmalades have dietary fibre, less sugar and are completely natural and healthy.	Marmalades have dietary fiber, less sugar and are completely natural and healthy.

What is Jelly?

Jelly is a semi-solid concoction made from the juices of fruits, coffee, vegetables, or other liquid. The process of making jelly involves various steps.

In the case of fruit jelly, the fruit juice is boiled with sugar, and when it reaches a specific temperature, thickeners such as pectin or gelatin are added, and the mixture is poured into moulds

and allowed to cool down either in refrigerators on in the open.

The result is a semi-solid and semi-transparent delicacy with a fruity taste and a very soft texture, creating a wobble when hit with a spoon.

Jelly is strictly made only from fruit juices and has a uniform and light texture. They can be flavoured with anything but fruits, and berries are the most common.

They are spread on bread, eaten with ice creams, or served as dessert. Cranberry jelly is widely administered with Roasted Turkey on Thanksgiving Day.

Jelly desserts were first recorded in an 18th-century book, and approximately 250 years later, they have the favourite of children and a traditional presentation on many days of significance.

Jellies have a very smooth texture and are very sugary. Therefore, they shouldn’t be consumed in large quantities to maintain health.

What is Marmalade?

Marmalade is a fruit concoction or a method of preserving fruit. Marmalades are made from citrus fruits such as oranges, kumquats, lemons, etc, and they can also be made with several citrus fruits at once.

It has a method of preparation similar to jellies. The most preferred fruit for marmalade production is Seville Oranges which have a high pectin content, which is a thickener.

Fruits such as oranges are segmented and boiled with large quantities of water and sugar, including their peels and rind, and then cooled down and allowed to set.

Marmalades have a shelf life of about a year if refrigerated and stored correctly. They have a thick and varied texture since the fruit pulp and peel are never strained out.

Marmalades have existed since ancient times when Romans acquired their preparation from the Greeks. The presence of peels and rind introduce bitterness to the Marmalade people like.

Marmalades are eaten by applying them on toasts and also with stews or roasts. It contains more dietary fibre and less sugar than other jams and jellies, making them a healthier option.

Orange Marmalade is the most popular kind, followed by Yuzu marmalade made, in Japan. Different regions of the world have different variations and recipes with other shelf lives.

Main Differences Between Jelly and Marmalade

1. Jellies are of a thinner consistency than marmalades which are thick and are also much smoother.
2. Jellies do not have any pulp and are made purely out of fruit juice, whereas marmalades are made of whole fruit including peels and pulp.
3. Jellies use artificial thickeners such as pectin and gelatine whereas marmalades are naturally thickened using the pectin present in oranges.
4. Marmalade is a term used only for citrus fruit preserves, whereas jellies can be made from a wide assortment of ingredients.
5. Marmalade is pieces of fruit suspended in light-coloured gel and is tarter whereas jelly is darker coloured as it is reduced fruit juice.

References

1. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=JPgkEAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PT7&dq=jelly+and+marmalade&ots=Rfaz4q1I9U&sig=Ivr43_ScCQByJBvbeG3uPwyGJ88
2. https://search.proquest.com/openview/fcc65ac8dfbc5e5a3df4123c4f5ec4a3/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=2040557

Last Updated : 13 July, 2023