British orange marmalade combines the sweetness of the orange and sugar with a slightly bitter aftertaste. The bitterness comes from the grated orange peel that is cooked into the fruit juice when making the marmalade.

The so-called Seville-Orangen are best suited for making real orange marmalade due to their high pectin content and natural bitterness.

Seville oranges got their name because they originated in the Spanish city of Seville, where they were considered inedible until they were discovered for British jam.

How do you make the authentic orange marmalade yourself?

Recipe for homemade orange marmalade

Ingredients:

8 medium-sized oranges
2-3 lemons
500ml water or fruit juice (fruit juice intensifies the flavour)
500g sugar (for jam)

Instructions:

Wash the fruit thoroughly in cold water.
Sterilise the jam jars and lids with boiling water.
Peel off the outer part of the skin with a potato peeler, chop finely and set aside.
Remove the remaining white rind from the fruit.
Cut the fruit into small slices and remove the hard inner core.
Cut the slices into small pieces.
Mix the chopped fruit with the sugar.
Simmer about half of the water or fruit juice with the chopped peel and a teaspoon of baking powder in a pan for about 20 minutes.
Add the fruit and sugar mix with the remaining liquid and simmer for a further 10 minutes.
Then boil for one minute.
Pour the jam into the jars up to about 2cm below the rim and close the lids tightly.
Simmer the filled jars in a bain-marie for fifteen minutes. The jars should be submerged in water to just below the lid. This process is not absolutely necessary, but will significantly extend the shelf life of the jam.
Remove the jars from the bain-marie and leave to cool upside down overnight. The hot jars should not touch each other.

Orange marmalade tastes best on fresh bread with butter, hot on ice cream or with poultry dishes.
Homemade jam will keep for up to 18 months. After that, it is still edible but loses its flavour.

Enjoy your meal!