Recipes for Carrot Marmalade (original) (raw)

Carrot Marmalade History and Recipes

For the last thousand years at least various forms of marmalade have been enjoyed as a sweet preserve with long keeping qualities. The Greeks stored Melimelo (raw or cooked quinces and honey) in earthenware jars for use during periods of scarcity. According to ancient Galenic medical tradition, based on balancing the body's "humoral" complexion, with compensatory foods, quinces, honey and later sugar, were considered to be "warming" remedies for stomach complaints, gynaecoligical problems, dropsy, bladder stones as well as colds and bronchial complaints. These Galenic theories in Greece, the Arab world, and Southern and Northern Europe through to the mid- 18th century.

(Above Source - Cured, fermented and smoked foods : proceedings of the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery 2010 - Elizabeth Field: Marmalade's dual role as a Medicine and a Preserve) full extract here.

The Romans learned from the Greeks that quinces slowly cooked with honey would "set" when cool. The Apicius work gives a recipe for preserving whole quinces, stems and leaves attached, in a bath of honey diluted with defrutum - Roman marmalade.

Marmalade is a fruit preserve made from the juice and peel of citrus fruits boiled with sugar and water. It can be produced from kumquats, lemons, limes, grapefruits, mandarins, sweet oranges, bergamots and other citrus fruits, or any combination thereof. for the last 1500 years at least, various forms of marmalade have been enjoyed as a sweetened fruit preserve with long keeping qualities. The Greeks melmelo (raw or cooked quinces and honey) in earthenware jars to use during times of scarcity.

The word marmalade comes from marmelo, Portuguese for quince, which in turn derives from the Greek melomeli, a honey-sweetened quince preserve prescribed as an aid to digestion. By the late Middle Ages, the Portuguese were making marmelada, a sugar-and-quince paste similar to what is now called membrillo in southern Europe. According to C. Anne Wilson�s definitive work The Book of Marmalade (St. Martin�s/Marek, 1985), marmelada arrived in 1495 in London, where it was enjoyed as a sweetmeat and an after-dinner digestive.

It is not clear when carrot marmalade first appeared, but it was certainly well known by the early 1700's and probably became popular when carrots discovered to be a good substitute for sugar which was a very expensive ingredient in that period.

Pectin (natural setting agent) According to dietaryfiberfood.com, carrots have the most pectin of all the vegetables. Carrots have 0.8 g of pectin per 100 g serving. Carrots are loaded with a wide variety of vitamins and the pectin they contain can help lower your cholesterol.https://www.livestrong.com/article/367234-list-of-vegetables-high-in-pectin/This makes carrots eminently suitable for making marmalade and jam set easily.

The benchmark citrus fruit for marmalade production in Britain is the Spanish Seville orange, Citrus aurantium var. aurantium, prized for its high pectin content, which gives a good set. The peel has a distinctive bitter taste which it imparts to the marmalade.

First published in 1615 Gervase Markham�s �The English House-wife� embraces a number of concurrent trends, including the strong link between the preparation of preserves and confectionery and the compounding of home medicines among wellborn country women in their still rooms. The ritual of the �banqueting course�, the special final course of a Tudor feast featuring an abundance of sweetmeats is arguably the bridge between the two marmalade traditions.Markham provides the requisite recipes: white and rose coloured solid quince marmalades that are rolled and twisted into hearts or knots or flattened then stamped with flowers or stars. Also a transitional form of marmalade in which orange pulp and sugar are boiled till very thick, and like old quince marmalades, cooled and poured into wooden boxes.

"Banqueting stuffe" also had aphrodisiac connotations. �Queen Mary Tudor�s marmalade� (to help her conceive a son � it did not work) in a Closet for Ladies and Gentlewomen (1608) contains sugar, quinces, candied orange peel, almonds and other spices. This concoction was thought to heat the blood and inflame the libido. Femalel orgasm was widely believed essential for conception.

(Source - Cured, fermented and smoked foods : proceedings of the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery 2010 - Elizabeth Field: Marmalade's dual role as a Medicine and a Preserve)

"The Closet of Sir Kenelme Digby Knight Opened " published in 1669, Digby's work is perhaps the most literate of seventeenth-century cookery books -He was a natural writer, as entertaining as instructive. Many of the recipes are for drinks, particularly of meads or metheglins, but the culinary material provides a remarkable conspectus of accepted practice among court circles in Restoration England, with extra details supplied from Digby's European travels. The editors also include the inventory of Digby's own kitchen in his London house, discovered amongst papers now deposited in the British Library; and they have provided a few modern interpretations of Digby's recipes. Full ebook available at Project Gutenberg -here. Some of his recipes for "Marmulate" :-

MARMULATE OF PIPPINS

Take the quickest Pippins, when they are newly gathered, and are sharp; Pare and Core and cut them into half quarters. Put to them their weight of the finest Sugar in Powder, or broken into little pieces. Put upon these in your preserving pan, as much fountain water, as will even cover them. Boil them with a quick-fire, till by trying a little upon a Plate, you find it gellieth. When it is cold (which may be in less then half an hour) then take it from the fire, and put into it a little of the yellow rind of Limons rasped very small, and a little of the Yellow rinde of Oranges boiled tender (casting away the first waters to correct their bitterness) and cut into narrow slices (as in the gelly of Pippins) and some Ambergreece, with a fourth part of Musk, and break the Apples with the back of your preserving spoon, whiles it cooleth. If you like them sharper, you may put in a little juyce of Limon, a little before you take the pan from the fire. When it is cold, put it into pots. This will keep a year or two.

WHITE MARMULATE, THE QUEENS WAY

Take a pound and an half of flesh of Quinces sliced, one pound of Sugar, and one pound of Liquor (which is a decoction made very strong of Quinces boiled in fair water). Boil these with a pretty quick fire, till they be enough, and that you find it gellieth. Then proceed as in my way.

MY LADY OF BATH'S WAY

Take six pounds of flesh of Quince, and two pound of Sugar moistened well with juyce of Quinces. Boil these together in a fit kettle; first gently, till the Liquor be sweated out from the quince, and have dissolved all the Sugar; Then very quick and fast, proceeding as in my way, (bruising the Quinces with a spoon, &c.) till it be enough. This will be very fine and quick in taste; but will not keep well beyond Easter. In this course you may make Marmulate without any juyce or water (by the meer sweeting of the flesh) if you be careful, proceeding slowly till juyce enough be sweated out, least else it burn to; and then quick, that the flesh may be boiled enough, before the Moisture be evaporated away.

Cherries raspberries and currants were also used in recipes for Marmulate.

Marmalade is generally distinguished from jam by its fruit peel. It may also be distinguished from jam by the fruits used. Another early record of a Marmalade occurred in the recipe book of Madam Eliza Cholmondeley, dated around 1677 and held at the Chester Record Office. It has one of the earliest recipes (for a Marmelet of Oranges) that compares to the marmalade we know today.

Captain Cook's Voyages and Scurvy - By order of the British Admiralty, as an experiment to determine which alleged antiscorbutics might prove the most effective, Captain Cook carried sauerkraut, salted cabbage, �rob� of citrus (evaporated orange and lemon), wort of malt (a fermented drink of sprouted barley), portable soup (dried animal offal), saloup (a medicinal drink made from plant roots), yellow carrot marmalade, soda water and mustard, The last preparation, with the juice, had been sent particularly for trial as anti-scorbutics. But Cook�s Antarctic voyage provided no clear experimental results. He carried too many possible cures and applied them without controls. Cook knew firsthand the value of fresh greens, fresh fruit, and sauerkraut as antiscorbutics but also praised sugar and malt (which contain little to no vitamin C), as well as fresh water and good hygiene. Still, through the eventual advocacy of another influential Navy physician, Sir Gilbert Blane, the inclusion of lemon juice on Navy vessels became mandatory from 1796 onward, and cases of scurvy were significantly reduced. (Source - The importance of eating local: slaughter and scurvy in Antarctic cuisine Jason C. Anthony Endeavour Vol. 35 No. 4 - Science Direct,Elsevier 2011)

It was recommended to Captain Cook in 1771 by Baron Stosch (or Storsch) of Berlin as a cure for scurvy. The Admiralty promptly passed this to the Victualling Board with an order for trials to be made on Captain Cook�s ships, Resolution and Adventure. The eficacy of the concoction proved inconclusive. (Source - ADM/F/11, Sick and Hurt Board to Admiralty, July 1748-October 1754, 8 Dec., 1752, ADM/G/785, Abstracts of Admiralty orders to Victualling Board, 1770-1774, 25 Nov., 1771, ADM/E/41, Admiralty to Sick and Hurt Board, January 1770-December 1774, 20 Jan., 1772 - On their return, the surgeons of the sloops reported that the carrot marmalade was of little use and the �rob� of lemon juice ineffective; perhaps, they thought, because it was used in too small quantities.) Read more here

He evaporated carrot juice to the thickness of treacle. Following this advice Captain Cook set off to discover the New World in 1772, reaching the Cape of Good hope after a 3 months voyage. The voyage carried amongst its provision some 30 gallons of Carrot Marmalade. Cook�s ship, the Resolution finally docked in New Zealand after 117 days at sea, the good state of the men's health was partly attributed to the ingestion of Carrot Marmalade, to help ward off scurvy. The mammoth journey ended in 1776 with an astonishing record of only one man being lost from sickness and that was not from scurvy! (source History of Scurvy and Vitamin C, by Ken J Carpenter, 1988 extract below)

In 1776 the physician Alexander Hunter wrote about preventing disease using carrot marmalade! A mere spoonful, he asserted, could cure fevers and scurvy, and prevent putrescence. An advertisement also appeared that year in the London Chronicle, titled �A Preparation of Carrots for the Use of Seamen in Long Voyages�, of which the �finest sort� could be procured for sixpence a pound.

Domestic Economy and Cookery for rich and Poor, by a Lady (1827) includes a recipe for "Carrot Marmalade - Excellent for the Navy", an anti-scorbutic which calls for boiling carrot zests with sugar and then acidulating it with lemon, vitriol (sulphuric acid), verjuice (green juice, a highly acidic juice made by pressing unripe grapes, crab-apples or other sour fruit), tartaric crystal and tamarind (fruit of the tamarind tree).

Read about ancient Persian Marmalade made in 1300 and onwardshere.

Pectin (natural setting agent) According to dietaryfiberfood.com, carrots have the most pectin of all the vegetables. Carrots have 0.8 g of pectin per 100 g serving. Carrots are loaded with a wide variety of vitamins and the pectin they contain can help lower your cholesterol.https://www.livestrong.com/article/367234-list-of-vegetables-high-in-pectin/This makes eminently suitable for making marmaled which sets easily.

Is a Carrot a Vegetable or Fruit?

For the purposes of the European Union's "Council Directive 2001/113/EC of 20 December 2001 relating to fruit jams, jellies and marmalades and sweetened chestnut pur�e intended for human consumption" carrots can be defined as a fruit as well as a vegetable. The Directive, written in the 80s and updated in 2001 describes the parameters required for a product to be labelled as jam or marmalade and from which the UK Jam and Similar Products legislation is based, there is the phrase "for the purposes of this directive, tomatoes, the edible part of rhubarb stalks,carrots, sweet potatoes, cucumbers, pumpkins, melons and water melons are considered to be fruit". This was introduced to pacify the Portuguese who are strongly into Carrot Marmalade and it is quite a delicacy!

Of course carrots are not botanically a fruit as they do not carry the seeds, and the above paragraph in the jam directive does not reclassify them as such, just allows them to be used as fruit.

Like a jam, this sweet marmalade uses carrots rather than traditional fruit, to provide extra dimensions of texture and flavour for a fun topping. (Carrot Jam here)

Carrot Marmalade Recipe (1)

Ingredients: 10 cups grated carrots, 10 cups sugar, 6 oranges, 4 lemons, 1 tsp each of Allspice, cinnamon and ground cloves. Two cups of water.

Directions: Wash and peel thin the orange and lemon rind being careful not to get the inner white membrane of the rind. Put through the food chopper. Remove thin white membrane from orange sections and slice into small pieces. Squeeze the lemons and add the juice to the mixture and allow it all to stand over night.

Next day, boil the mixture with water for 10 minutes. Meantime, grate the carrots (unpeeled) and add with the sugar and spices and cook for 2 hours. Test for setting and when ready, put in jars and seal.

(for an extra zing try adding some sliced fresh ginger root to the boiling about an hour after you start.)

Note this is a very old recipe and I think you could dispense with the overnight waiting period.

Carrot Marmalade Recipe (2)

Ingredients: 1 � lb of brown sugar. 3 cups of chopped carrots. 4 medium oranges. 1 large lemon. Water.

Directions: Chopped the carrots, oranges and the lemon. Mix with sugar.

Allow to stand overnight. In the morning, cook until the mixture gels, approx 2 hours. Test using standard jam method.

Seal while hot.

Carrot Marmalade recipe (3)

Ingredients: 3 medium carrots; 4 lemons; 5 cups sugar; 9 cups water

Directions: Grate carrots and lemon rind finely into a bowl. Add lemon juice. Add water and allow to stand for about 12 to 14 hours.

Boil for one hour, adding sugar a little at a time and stir till dissolved. Only then bring to the boil again and boil for another hour or until it jellies on a cold saucer. Bottle as needed.

Greek Carrot Marmalade

Ingredients: 2 1/4 pounds of fresh carrots, finely grated, grated peel of 2 oranges, 3 1/2 cups of water, 3 cups of sugar, 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon

Method: Boil all ingredients, partially covered, over high heat for 50 minutes to 1 hour. Syrup should be like thin maple syrup. Allow to cool for 1 hour. Spoon into glass containers with airtight lids. Allow to cool completely before covering.

1771 Recipe - Extract from a letter to Captain Cook, aboard the sloop Resolution at Deptford Dock, from Baron Storsch, written from Berlin 12 September 1771. The letter is in a letterbook of orders, correspondence and instructions to and from Cook and the British Admiralty in preparation for his second voyage of discovery.

In the letter Storsch remarks the recipe is �one of the best Remedies against the Scurvy, it will be of the greatest use in long Sea Voyages, and if this Remedy should take it will of consequence improve the Culture of this useful wholesome Root.�

Text of the letter -

"About the beginning of October when the Yellow Carrots are the Sweetest, you take fresh out of the Ground as many as you intend to make use of. Take care to chose them well, that none with black Spots be left between them.

You wash your Carrots sundry times & clean them nicely of the Herb as well as of the Green Top.

If you intend to make but a Small quantity of the Marmalade you may grate your Carrots upon a Tin Grater but should you want any large quantity, you may mince or hatch the Carrots which you put into a Kettle And Add as much fresh water, that your Carrots be cover�d with about four inches with Water. You boil them over a Small fire until they are reduced to a pap, the Grated Carrots Want less boiling, the hatched ones must be boil�d about twelve hours, take a great care never to give too Much fire after they begin to boil & to stir your Carrots now & then of fear they may stick and burn beneath.

When your Carrots are boil�d enough, you must strain them well through a clean linen and press the Felt well, that all the juice may come out, the dregs are a good Food for Hogs, Geese & Ducks. You put the filtrated Juice of Carrots into another Kettle & boil it again over a small fire until it gets the thickness of a fluid honey, at this last boiling you must take great care by constant stirring and by small firing to prevent its sticking to the Kettle & burning, which will give to your Marmalade a bitter and disagreeable taste.

When your Marmalade is enough boil�d and well done, you preserve it into Stone or Earth pots, well varnish�d & keep it well cover�d with a Parchment or Bladder, if it is well made & thick enough boil�d, it will preserve full two years.

Should your Marmalade spoil by some accident or other and get some moisture at the top, you take of the moisture with a Spoon and boil it again and it will regain its first sweetness.

Other method of making the Carrot Marmalade (transcript of above letter image)

"You squeeze the Juice out of the grated or hatched Carrots and boil it immediately thick without any addition of water either over a Small fire or even over boiling water, you preserve it in the abovementioned way, but it will not keep above a twelve month.

In some Parts of Germany where many acres of Carrots are cultivated they make use of Oil Mills to squeeze the juice of the Carrots and boil it afterwards in the last mentioned manner.

One acre of good soil well plowed (ploughed) will want 24 ounces of carrot seeds, a less rich soil will want 2 pound of seed per acre.

The carrot don�t improve well in a well dung land."

The Magazine of Domestic Economy Vol 4 1839 (published by W Orr, Edinburgh)

Godey's Magazine, Volume 82 1871 (image below)

<p">A Carrot Marmalade was advocated in 1915: </p">

Source: The Great War Cook Book, From Trench Pudding to Carrot Marmalade by May Myron, c. 1915 (Published in 2014 by Amberley Publishing with an Introduction by Eleri Pipien)

Take two and half pounds of peeled sliced carrots (weigh after preparing). six lemons thinly sliced, with the pips removed, a heaped saltspoonful (1/4 teaspoon) of salt and four quarts of water. Boil all together till they can be pulped through a sieve; say about two and a half hours; then add two pounds of sugar, and b oil up until the marmalade will set.

A Mystery Recipe - Maud�s Carrot Marmalade

2 cups grated carrots, 2 lg or 3 small oranges 3 cups granic sugar (granulated?), juice of 1 lemon. Grate carrots, oranges and lemon rind. Remove all white peeling left on orange and simmer it in a little water while preparing carrots. Cut pulp of orange and lemon into small pieces. Allow carrots to cook adding strained water from white part of orange to carrots and quite enough more water to keep from burning. Boil until tender then add orange pulp and sugar and boil till clear. Recipe from the Vintage Recipe Project - https://vintagerecipeproject.com/mauds-carrot-marmalade-recipe/ - suggested it might be 1940's to 1960's. Judging by the script and lack of any timings the Carrot Museum would guess at the 1800's.

Ambrose heath - "War Time Recipes" - 1941 - Heath was one of the contributors to the �Kitchen Front� talks broadcast by the BBC during the Second World War. The talks were organized by the Ministry of Food to encourage frugality and palliate the hardship of rationing with recipes, household hints, exhortations from government officials and comedy. The �Kitchen Front� was a platform for propaganda, but of a homely and avuncular cast.

World War One Recipe

Pumpkin or Carrot Marmalade

Reduce 1 pint grape juice one-half by boiling slowly. Add 1 cup vegetables (pumpkin or carrot). Add 2 teaspoons spices and 1 cup corn syrup. Boil until of consistency of honey and place in sterilized jars or glasses.

Title: Foods That Will Win The War And How To Cook Them (1918)Author: C. Houston Goudiss and Alberta M. Goudiss

A recipe from Australia in 1917- "Carrots contain a large amount of sugar, and, on account of their deep colour, make a very attractive looking preserve." (read more here pdf)

World War Two recipe - Marmalade appeared in one the many "Food Facts" advertisements, giving hints and tips on the effcient use of food and substitute food stuffs. Here is Issue 32 dated 10 March 1941.

A lovely Christmas recipe

Marmalade roasted carrots and parsnips 20 mins to prepare and 30 mins to cook

Sweet and sticky, and the perfect side for your Christmas turkey dinner. Can be cooked and frozen for up to a month, helping you get ahead on the day.

Ingredients: 500g (1lb) carrots, cut lengthways;500g (1lb) parsnips, cut lengthways; 2 tbsp olive oil;6 thyme sprigs, leaves picked;2 tbsp fine cut marmalade;2 tbsp clear honey

Method: Preheat the oven to gas 6, 200�C, fan 180�C. Put the veg in a roasting tin. Drizzle with the oil and scatter over most of the thyme; season. Roast for 30-40 minutes or until softened.

Toss the veg in the marmalade, honey and remaining thyme until coated. Roast for a further 10-15 minutes or until golden.

Carrot Museum page about Carrot Jam

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