Fig Orange Preserves

Whether you call it jam, jelly or preserve - this delicious treat is another traditional method of larder preservation. From the very proper English scones with jam and cream to your humble jam on toast, this old favorite is enjoyed worldwide by people from all walks of life.

But did you know this humble treat had a rather illustrious beginning? Although historians can't pinpoint an exact date, it is widely believed that cooks in the Middle East were the first to make fruit jams and preserves. It might have been during the 4th Century or even earlier. The first mention of fruit preserves (made using honey) can be found in the oldest surviving cookbook from antiquity called "De Re Coquinaria", The Art of Cooking. The book is believed to date back to the late 4th or early 5th century and is attributed to one Marcus Gavius Apicius, the famed epicure who lived during the reign of Tiberius, early in the first century AD.

- Source: Marian Tisi, food faith.com.au