Jellies

Jelly is a clear semisolid gelatinous food, generally sweet, but it can also be savory. The word derives from the Middle English “gele” and the Latin “gelare,” meaning to freeze.

Known since at least the fourteenth century, jelly dishes were served as part of the meal, not as dessert. Only nobility and the wealthy were able to serve a wide range of jellied dishes, due to the labor-intensive process and the expensive and hard-to-obtain ingredients. A variety of colors, flavors, and textures in jellies, and other dishes such as leaches, blancmanges, and flummeries, allowed numerous jellied creations to be presented on the table simultaneously. At first the jellies were less solid and served in bowls or small jelly glasses. In the late 1700s, jellies became firmer and a great variety of molds made of china, wood, and copper became available.