Gourmandises: Bitter Orange Jam

Even after years, I still love grocery shopping. Why? Because, if you keep your eyes open, and like browsing the aisles, every once in a while, you will find another special treat in the shelves.

Just like this time. Browsing the jam shelve, I was struck by an irregular shape: a metal can. Not your classical jam packaging, at least not in Germany. White background, orange fruit ornaments on top. Looked deceivingly good to me. Plus the memory of bitter orange jam on sweet white bread, like they eat in Great Britain. A must-have. And I shouldn´t be disappointed: this bitter orange marmelade is WONDERFUL. Bitter and sweet, but neither too much. It is made in South Africa, right where the oranges grow. Sun-ripened oranges, no concentrates, sealed straight after production, and then shipped on to their final destination.

To make this jam, they use not your ordinary oranges, but a similar kind, the Bitter Orange or Sour Orange. Those small, dark-orange fruits have a thicker skin than their ordinary brothers. The sourly-bitter flesh is almost inedible. But, cut into strips and cooked with sugar, they make a wonderful bitter orange jam. Depending on the amount of skin that stays candied in the jam, you can buy "fine cut" or "rough cut". Mine is a fine cut, and I love the orange skin pieces most, to be honest.