How did Marmalade get its name?
According to one story, the name originates from Marie malade (‘Mary’s ill’). This is a reference to Mary, Queen of Scots, who supposedly ate orange jam when she was unwell. The bitter orange – the skin in particular – was used medicinally as an aid to digestion. Yet it is the quince that is marmelo and quince conserve marmelada. The root of the name of this fruit appears to be from the Latin melimelum, or honey apple. Quince was widely used as root stock for different varieties of apple and pear, which graft on to it well. In the Oxford English Dictionary the etymology of ‘marmalade’ states its origins as Portuguese and French – which could possibly be why it was associated with Mary Queen of Scots, whose preferred language was French. The word ‘marmalade’ is first referred to in English documents of around 1480, which well predates Mary, Queen of Scots. This probably refers to the import of the Portuguese product, which had reached such proportions by 1495 that it was assessed for cu
