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Joined: May 14, 2002
Posts: 1322
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Aaaaaaargh, first you loons think Hartlypoole is in Scotland then you think marmalade was invented from shipwreck oranges.
The true story of Maramalade
In the course of its tangled life history, the marmalade story has generated at least a couple of myths which have livened-up the letters pages of our national newspapers over the years and for which the Scots must accept some responsibility. One involves the belief that it was an invention of Janet Keiller whose Dundee family built the first marmalade factory in 1797. Another, that it gets its name from Mary Queen of Scots.
Its first appearance - in both Scotland and England - was in wooden boxes. A solid, sugary mass of marmelos (quinces), exported from Portugal, and first mentioned as 'marmelada' in port records at the end of the 15th century. This is what travelled with Mary Queen of Scots when she became seasick on the crossing from Calais to Scotland in 1561 and which may, or may not, have helped to restore her equilibrium since quinces were regarded at the time as healing fruits.
Her request: 'Marmelade pour Marie malade' was no more than an amusing medicinal pun. 'Marmelade' had become a useful name for a thick purée of fruit in the days before the more vulgar jam (jammed into pots) appeared. At this time, the medicinal properties of oranges were highly regarded.
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