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Ladles and Jellyspoons Trivia Quiz

Can you help us out of a jam by answering these questions on the history and making of jams, jellies and related preserves?

A multiple-choice quiz by SBH. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
SBH

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
361,840

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
816

Awards
Top 35% Quiz

Last 3 plays: ozzz2002 (8/10), Buddy1 (10/10), Dagny1 (10/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. There are many names for fruit preserves: chutney, marmalade, conserve, jam, jelly and so on. Definitions vary, but most modern cooks agree on the difference between a jam and a jelly. What is it? Hint

A jelly contains sugar, while a jam does not.

A jelly is runny, while a jam is firm.

A jelly is clear, while a jam contains pieces of fruit.

A jelly can only be made with grapes; jam can use any fruit.

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Question 2 of 10

2. Home cooks generally use "Mason jars" with two-part lids to preserve jams and jellies. When were these developed? Hint

In the 1940s

In the 1790s

In the 1910s

In the 1850s

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Question 3 of 10

3. Fruit was preserved by the Romans by drying, but also by storing in jars in a form something like modern jam or fruit conserves. What did they use instead of sugar to help delay spoiling? Hint

Honey

Lime juice

Salt water

Snake venom

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Question 4 of 10

4. What do jam and jelly cooks mean when they mention a "bail closure" jar? Hint

A glass jar with a lid that is held on by an attached wire

The best jar in the batch; you must pay "bail" to open it

A jar designed to be held closed with baling twine

A reused mustard container sealed with a wide cork

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Question 5 of 10

5. Pectin is a naturally-occurring plant product that is necessary for the gelling of jams or jellies. Which of the following does not contain enough pectin to cause jam to gel? Hint

Blackberry seeds

Apple skins

Watermelon rinds

Orange seeds

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Question 6 of 10

6. What is a "Jammie Dodger"? Hint

Someone who steals jam as it's cooling on a window sill

A cookie

A fruitcake

A ham glazed with jam

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Question 7 of 10

7. It can and has been made with many different ingredients, but what ingredient would most modern cooks agree must be present in order for a preserve to be called a marmalade? Hint

Lemons

Any tropical fruit

Ginger

Any citrus fruit

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Question 8 of 10

8. Janet Keiller of Dundee, Scotland, is sometimes given credit as the "inventor" of marmalade in the late 1700s. Where did she get the oranges for her first batch? Hint

From a shipwreck

She won them in a bet

From orange-sellers in the theatres

They were willed to her

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Question 9 of 10

9. Where in the world is The World's Original Marmalade Awards and Festival? Hint

Edinburgh, Scotland

Sydney, Australia

Boston, USA

Cumbria, England

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Question 10 of 10

10. The popularity of home preserving has seen a recent resurgence. In 2009, Seattle food writer Kim O'Donnell founded a hugely popular coalition centred on a website with which of the following names? Hint

Join the Jam-boree

Canning Across America

Preserving Nation

A Jillion Jars

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Most Recent Scores

Nov 11 2024 : ozzz2002: 8/10
Nov 11 2024 : Buddy1: 10/10
Nov 11 2024 : Dagny1: 10/10
Nov 08 2024 : Guest 104: 9/10
Oct 11 2024 : Guest 172: 7/10
Sep 24 2024 : Guest 175: 3/10

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

Answer: A jelly is clear, while a jam contains pieces of fruit.

Modern fruit jellies are generally made by straining fruit juice, combining it with sugar and causing it to gel by heating it. Some fruits and berries require the addition of extra pectin in order to gel. Jam is made from whole fruits, and may include flesh, skin and/or seeds.

2. Home cooks generally use "Mason jars" with two-part lids to preserve jams and jellies. When were these developed?

Answer: In the 1850s

They were patented in 1858. Early versions were sealed with a rubber ring, a glass lid and a zinc screw-top band. Today the lids and bands are both metal. Mason jars are sturdy enough to be sterilized in boiling water and can hold a vacuum seal. In North America, Mason jars are manufactured by the Jarden company under the brands Ball, Kerr and Golden Harvest (in the US) and Bernardin (in Canada).

3. Fruit was preserved by the Romans by drying, but also by storing in jars in a form something like modern jam or fruit conserves. What did they use instead of sugar to help delay spoiling?

Answer: Honey

The Romans referred to preserved fruits by various terms, including "meli melo", or "apples in honey", as well as "cidonitum", a term derived from the Roman word for quince. The former may be the origin of the modern word "marmalade".

4. What do jam and jelly cooks mean when they mention a "bail closure" jar?

Answer: A glass jar with a lid that is held on by an attached wire

Bail closure jars are widely used in the UK, but US authorities no longer recommend them as safe for shelf storage. Sometimes known as "Kilner" jars, after their inventor, they were sold for many years in the US under the brand name "Lighting".

5. Pectin is a naturally-occurring plant product that is necessary for the gelling of jams or jellies. Which of the following does not contain enough pectin to cause jam to gel?

Answer: Watermelon rinds

Orange pith and seeds are rich in natural pectin, as are apples, and commercially formulated pectin products are generally derived from one or the other. The seeds of such berries as raspberries and blackberries are also decent pectin sources, as are plums, gooseberries and cranberries.

6. What is a "Jammie Dodger"?

Answer: A cookie

Popular in the UK, Jammie Dodgers are round sandwich cookies with a round window in the top, through which you can see the filling, which is generally raspberry jam. To judge by some of his lines in various episodes, the eleventh Doctor (played by Matt Smith) in the long-running British television series "Doctor Who" is especially fond of Jammie Dodgers.

7. It can and has been made with many different ingredients, but what ingredient would most modern cooks agree must be present in order for a preserve to be called a marmalade?

Answer: Any citrus fruit

Today, citrus is considered a must in a marmalade, and marmalade aficionados hold bitter oranges, such as Seville oranges, to be the quintessential marmalade base. However, cookbooks of the past included recipes for every conceivable kind of "marmalade", many containing odd ingredients such as banana skins, with no citrus content whatsoever.

8. Janet Keiller of Dundee, Scotland, is sometimes given credit as the "inventor" of marmalade in the late 1700s. Where did she get the oranges for her first batch?

Answer: From a shipwreck

The legend goes that Janet, wife of a merchant named James, developed the recipe to capitalize on a load of oranges from a wrecked ship before they went bad. The firm of James Keiller and Son was founded on the strength of her recipe in 1797. However, bitter orange marmalade was known much earlier; it is mentioned in Persian literature of the 4th century.

9. Where in the world is The World's Original Marmalade Awards and Festival?

Answer: Cumbria, England

The popular event was founded in Dalemain in 2005. By 2013, competitors from all over the world were submitting some 2,000 jars for judging. The festival's patron is Paddington Bear, the fictional Peruvian bear who is noted for his fondness for marmalade.

Answer: Canning Across America

The group is a loose coalition of writers and cooks who contribute to the site in order to promote safe canning practices and share their enthusiasm about canning generally. Besides the site, they organize a Flickr photo collection, occasional Twitter chats, canning parties, classes, and an annual national "Can-a-thon" each summer.

Source: Author SBH

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor WesleyCrusher before going online.
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