Your ViewsKeep your e-mails pouring in, it's good to know that there are lots of you out there with views and opinions. To help you work out what is what, are now little icons to help you see biscuit related themes. And now you can see at a glance which are the most contested subjects via this graph (requires Flash 6.0 plugin). Please keep your mails coming in to nicey@nicecupofteaandasitdown.com | If you like, you can use this search thingy to find stuff that matches with any of the icons you pick, or use the fantastic free text search, Yay! | Your e-Mails |
Tom Hutchinson
Jammie Dodger Review |
Dear Nicey -
Thank you for your lovely website. I have been very much enjoying it on a semi-regular basis.
I wonder if you have been doing any research into the 'raspberry-flavoured plum jam' problem which currently afflicts Jammie Dodgers and other biscuit/jam compounds.
Raspberry jam is certainly a top jam, so I don't understand why Jammie Dodger manufacturers have to resort to this silly simulacrum. Maybe they are worried about the presence of those little raspberry bits - like minature embryonic raspberrys. If you reduce raspberries to a puree then these bits are certainly distracting, but in the context of jam, they present no difficulties. Equally, I am worried at the thought that raspberry flavoured plum jam might retain some taint of former pluminess. For indisputably, plum jam does not belong in the folio of classic jams. But by what method is the plum flavour eradicated? What would happen if this process was to backfire?
Or maybe it is only a question of simple economics. In which case, my response would be to wait a moment, and then to breathe softly: 'oh dear'. I have seen Jurassic Park (one and two) and I know you cannot toy with nature for mere financial gain.
I hope you can shed some light on this for me, and many of my concerned friends.
Thank you
Tom |
Nicey replies: Tom,
I covered this one in the review. Its to do with the amount of pectin which is the complex polysaccharide in plant cell walls that sets the jam. Plums and Apples are very rich in it soft fruits such as raspberries don't have so much and strawberries are notoriously low in it. Hence to get really stiff jam capable of holding the two sides of the jamie dodger together Burton's have gone for a plum based jam. However the flavours that people respond to are those of the of soft fruit jams, hence subterfuge. |
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