The Romance of Words — "Marmalade"

1921

It was early in the Fifteenth century that French epicures began to take notice of a new and particularly delicious sweetmeat that was beginning to come over the border from Spain.

It appeared to be a kind of thick jam, well flavored and with a body which gave it distinctly more of a taste than the rather flat preserves which were in vogue at that time. Inquiring into the source of this delicacy, the Parisians found that it came from Portugal, where the natives had discovered the knack of treating quinces in such a manner that they made a paste or preserve of exceptional quality and appetizing flavor. Because of the fact that the Portuguese word for quince is "marmelo," the name "marmalade" was applied to this preserve which, upon being introduced into England, became extremely popular.

During the Nineteenth century the English became very proficient in the making of orange marmalade, and practically captured the world trade in this commodity until American genius added a new tang and flavor at an even lower price. The fact that oranges were almost universally used for the manufacture of this product obscured the original derivation of the word, and today marmalade is generally understood to mean a thick jam made from oranges, while, as a matter of fact, it should be applied only to that which is made from quinces. Even "orange marmalade" is a misnomer, as a literal translation of the term would be "orange- quince preserve."