Sweet fruit preserves such as jams, jellies, and marmalades are often eaten at breakfast with bread or as an ingredient of a pastry or dessert, whereas more savory and acidic preserves made from "vegetable fruits" such as tomato, squash or zucchini, are eaten alongside savory foods such as cheese, cold meats, and curries.

[4] The singular preserve or conserve is used as a collective noun for high fruit content jam, often for marketing purposes.

Additionally, the name of the type of fruit preserves will also vary depending on the regional variant of English being used.

[citation needed] Cheong is a name for various sweetened foods in the form of syrups, marmalades, and fruit preserves in Korean cuisine.

Although originally intended to be eaten soon after preparation, modern chutneys are often made to be sold, so they require preservatives – often sugar and vinegar – to ensure they have a suitable shelf life.

The word is also based on the French term confiture via the Dutch confident (meaning candied fruit).

Because of this shorter cooking period, not as much pectin will be released from the fruit, and consequently conserves, particularly if home-cooked, will sometimes be slightly softer set than some jams.

Fruit curd is a dessert topping and spread usually made with lemon, lime, orange, or raspberry.

[19] The basic ingredients are beaten egg yolks, sugar, fruit juice and zest which are gently cooked together until thick and then allowed to cool, forming a soft, smooth, flavorful spread.

Jam refers to a product made of whole fruit cut into pieces or crushed, then heated with water and sugar until it reaches "jelling" or "setting" point, which is achieved through the action of natural or added pectin.

The side chains of pectin may contain small amounts of other sugars such as L-fructose, D-glucose, D-mannose, and D-xylose.

Tart apples, sour blackberries, cranberries, currants, gooseberries, Concord grapes, soft plums, and quinces work well in recipes without added pectin.

[26] Other fruits, such as apricots, blueberries, cherries, peaches, pineapple, raspberries, rhubarb, and strawberries are low in pectin.

Some jellies, such as redcurrant, or mint, are classic accompaniments to roasted meats such as turkey, game, and lamb.

It can be produced from lemons, limes, grapefruits, mandarins, sweet oranges, bergamots and other citrus fruits, or any combination thereof.

Marmalade is distinguished from jam by the inclusion of citrus peel, and the use of more water, in which respect it resembles a jelly.

When the mixture reaches a temperature of 104 °C (219 °F),[37] the acid and the pectin in the fruit react with the sugar, and the jam will set on cooling.

Most home cooks work by trial and error rather than temperature measurement, bringing the mixture to a "fast rolling boil", watching to see if the seething mass changes texture, and dropping small samples on a plate to see if they run or set.

The lower boiling temperature enables the water to be driven off as it would be when using the traditional open pan method, but with the added benefit of retaining more of the volatile flavor compounds from the fruit, preventing caramelization of the sugars, and of course reducing the overall energy required to make the product.

However, once the desired amount of water has been driven off, the jam still needs to be heated briefly to 95 to 100 °C (203 to 212 °F) for safety, to kill pathogens that would otherwise proliferate.

[citation needed] During commercial filling it is common to use a flame to sterilize the rim and lid of jars to destroy any yeasts and molds, which could cause spoilage during storage.

[citation needed] Under the Processed Products Regulations (C.R.C., c. 291), jams, jellies, citrus marmalade, and preserves are defined.

This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Department of Agriculture.