Fruit Spread Terminology

You'll find many bread spread recipes with the words jelly, jam, conserve, marmalade, preserves, or butter in the title. What will the final product be if it's a conserve versus a preserve? Read below to expand your recipe reading savoir-faire.


Butter: fruits that are cooked down until they form a thick puree, sometimes containing added sweeteners and spices.

Conserve: a chunky mixture of fruit (fresh or dried) and nuts that is cooked with pectin and a sweetener until translucent.

Jam: thick spreads made from pureed or crushed fruit, mixed with sugar, and boiled until thick; sometimes pectin is added.

Jelly: a firm, clear, sparkling gel made from fruit juice and sometimes cooked with added sweetener or pectin.

Marmalade: a spread from one or more citrus fruits that is cooked with pectin and a sweetener until translucent.

Preserves: a chunky single fruit spread that is cooked with pectin and a sweetener until the fruit is translucent and plump and the syrup is thick.




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