Curiosities

We could tell the story of the world’s first known cookbook, De Re Coquinaria (dated the 1st Century AD), with its description of heated fruit mixed with honey and then cooled. We could also turn to ancient tales in almost every country of the world, each one inspiring us to make jam in its own unique way with its own unique set of ingredients. And then there is the grandmother, or some other relative, who conjured up for so many of us that ‘secret’ family recipe, which now passes from one generation to the next. So who invented jam? Perhaps, the answer is… every family did, at one time or another.

At the moment of our birth, we have genetic memory that tells the story of how we came to exist. In just the same way, a pot of jam also contains a memory of how and where the fruits were grown, traces of alcohol now burned away by the heat of the stove, and perhaps even other clues about the day that everything finally came together. That’s why jam is best tasted slowly, allowing us gradually to discover the secrets and stories that come together in a single moment and are now contained in each unique pot.

Right now, the jam is not for sale. Each pot is made as a gift for friends, colleagues and people who collaborate in the project in some way. It’s like a collective in which we gather together to celebrate, share, and tell stories. Together, we enjoy the process of cooking, building on each other’s ideas, making new connections and uncovering stories that have previously laid hidden from sight.