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Dessert

Barberr Y-jam

A sweet preserve made from barberries, brown sugar, and water, cooked until jam-like.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 3 ingredients
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Barberr Y-jam

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the fruit

  1. Pick over the barberries and remove the stems.

  2. Weigh the barberries.

  3. Place the barberries in a preserving kettle.

  4. Add an equal weight of brown sugar to the kettle.

  5. Add ½ cup of cold water for each pound of sugar.

Cook the jam

  1. Let the sugar melt.

  2. Let the fruit slowly reach the boiling point.

  3. Stir the mixture occasionally.

  4. Once boiling, reduce heat to simmer.

  5. Cook the jam slowly for one hour.

  6. Stir occasionally to prevent burning.

  7. Check that the fruit looks clear.

  8. Check that the jam has the proper consistency.

  9. Remove the jam from heat.

Jar and seal

  1. Let the jam cool.

  2. Transfer the jam into glass or earthen jars or jelly glasses.

  3. Cover the surface of the jam with a round piece of white paper wet with brandy.

  4. Seal the jars airtight.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Explore the science

What each ingredient does

Barberries
Provide the tart fruit flavor and pectin-rich body that forms the jam's structure.
Brown sugar
Sweetens the jam and, as it dissolves and concentrates, helps it set to a spreadable consistency.
Cold water
Helps the sugar dissolve evenly so the fruit does not scorch before it softens.

The step that matters

Cook the jam slowly for one hour. Sugar can scorch on the bottom of the kettle if heat is too high or stirring is neglected. Slow simmering with occasional stirring lets water evaporate and the jam thicken without burning.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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