How to Make Elizabethan Fruit Pastes & Marmalades (Quince, Peach & Plum)

Paste of quince (amber), apricot (yellow), and strawberries (red).

Originally published: December 2020
Updated: October 24, 2025

Sweet Preserves for a Banquet Table

In the Elizabethan era, fruit pastes—sometimes called marmalades or “chardequynce”—were glittering jewels of sugar, fruit, and spice. They appeared at the close of grand meals as part of the banqueting course, alongside marchpane, candied spices, and comfits. Far from our modern breakfast spreads, these were confections of luxury—delicate, perfumed, and designed as edible art.

My earliest experiment with fruit paste was a quince paste, followed by a Spanish-style marmalade made with dates, powdered pearls, and gold leaf. Since then, I’ve made pastes of apples, raspberries, strawberries, apricots, and plums. For our Baronial Twelfth Night, the table featured a full assortment of these sparkling fruits.

Historical Context

The first fruit pastes appear in late medieval manuscripts such as *A Leechbook* (Royal Medical Society MS 136, c.1444) and continue into the Tudor and Elizabethan printed cookbooks like A.W.’s A Book of Cookrye (1587) and John Partridge’s The Treasurie of Commodious Conceits (1573). These recipes often recommend honey or sugar as preservatives, with quinces or wardens (a firm pear) providing natural pectin. Sugar was believed to “close the stomach” and aid digestion—so these confections were thought medicinal as well as delightful.

By the late 16th century, “marmalade” had expanded beyond quince to include peaches, plums, and even medlars. Unlike modern spreads, these were boiled until firm and cut into decorative shapes, sometimes impressed with moulds and dusted with sugar to gleam like gemstones.

The very word marmalade comes from the Portuguese marmelada, meaning a preserve of quince (marmelo). It entered English through imported Iberian sweetmeats and gradually expanded to mean any thick fruit conserve. Only in the 17th century did citrus marmalades—especially bitter orange—become fashionable in England.

Sugar, Trade, and Luxury

In the 1400s and early 1500s, sugar was a costly import from Mediterranean trade routes, used sparingly in medicines and aristocratic kitchens. By Elizabeth’s reign, Caribbean plantations and new trade networks made sugar more available, transforming what had been a medicinal luxury into a fashionable indulgence. Elaborate sugarwork became a mark of refinement—these pastes were served on gilded dishes at banquets to showcase both taste and status.

Period Tools & Presentation

Household inventories list *marmalet boxes*—small wooden or pewter containers used to store fruit pastes—and carved boxwood moulds for shaping them into knots, roses, or heraldic badges. Displayed among marchpane and candied fruits, these confections were edible sculptures. At feasts, they were offered in the banquetting house alongside spiced wine, wafers, and sugar plate, eaten in tiny bites rather than spread on bread.

Humoral Theory Notes

According to Galenic medicine, quinces and other tart fruits were considered cold and dry in the second degree, balancing the hot and moist qualities of meats and wines. The addition of sugar, cinnamon, and ginger “warmed” the mixture, making it more agreeable to the stomach. Thus, fruit pastes served both as decoration and as digestive aid.

Iberian Influence

England’s fascination with “Spanish marmalades” reflected the influence of Iberian confectionery traditions using honey, rosewater, and spice. Early imports were prized gifts, inspiring English cooks to recreate them at home. A.W.’s peach marmalade and Partridge’s plum version show how continental recipes adapted to local fruits and English tastes.

Modern Redaction: Fruit Pastes

🥕 Dietary Notes: Naturally vegan and gluten-free. Replace honey with sugar for strict vegan use. For a low-sugar variation, reduce by ¼ and add apple pectin.

Yield: About 24 small squares
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 45–90 minutes | Drying Time: 1–4 days

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce (natural source of pectin)
• 1½–2 cups prepared fruit (quince, plum, peach, strawberry, or apricot)
• 1½–2 cups sugar (or a mix of sugar and honey)

Instructions

1. Combine fruit and applesauce in a non-reactive pan. Add sugar and stir until dissolved.
2. Puree and strain to remove seeds or skins. Return to the pan.
3. Cook over medium heat until the mixture reaches 225°F (107°C), stirring constantly.
4. Continue stirring until thick enough that a spoon leaves a clean trench.
5. Pour into a parchment-lined pan lightly sprayed with oil. Smooth the surface.
6. Dry in a warm oven (light on) until the top feels dry, then flip and dry the other side—24 hours to 4 days.
7. Cut into shapes and roll in sugar for a jewel-like finish. Store airtight for up to 3 months.

Why It Works

The natural pectin in apples and quinces gels when heated with sugar and acid, forming a stable matrix that hardens as water evaporates. Medieval cooks discovered this empirically—long before modern chemistry explained it—making fruit paste one of the earliest forms of jelly confection.

Historical Recipes

Chardequynce (c.1444)

Take a quart of clarified honey and two ounces of powder of pepper... then take 20 quinces and 10 wardens and seeth them till tender. Strain them, mix with the honey, boil till thick, then add ginger and canell (cinnamon). Store when cool. For a whiter result, use sugar in place of honey.

Source: A Leechbook, Royal Medical Society MS 136

To Make Dry Marmalade of Peaches (1587)

Take your peaches and pare them... mince finely and steep in rosewater. Strain, add sugar, and seethe till your stick stands upright. Mould into prints and bake gently before the fire.

Source: A.W., A Book of Cookrye (1587)

To Make Marmalade of Damsins or Prunes (1573)

Boyle your ripe damsons with a little fair water till soft, then strain and seethe with sugar as you do quinces. Box and keep dry. The same may be done with prunes, wardens, or medlars.
Source: John Partridge, The Treasurie of Commodious Conceits (1573)

Modern Notes & Substitutions

• Applesauce gives reliable pectin; substitute quince or pear purée for period authenticity.
• Honey adds a warm flavor but darkens color; sugar yields clearer, gemlike pastes.
• Rosewater adds floral complexity—start with ½ teaspoon. Try rose petal jam for a modern floral alternative.
• Spices: Cinnamon, ginger, or even black pepper appear in early recipes.

Sources

• A.W., A Book of Cookrye (1587)
• John Partridge, The Treasurie of Commodious Conceits (1573)
• A Leechbook, Royal Medical Society MS 136 (c.1444)

More from the Tudor & Elizabethan Table

• Quince Paste (Chardequynce)
• Herbelade – Herb Pottage
• Bruet of Almayne – Spiced Wine Broth