[in the 16th century]The majority of these fruit sweetmeats were available in two guises. They could be wet, swimming in rich syrup, stored in jars and eaten with a spoon or (later) fork. Or they could be dry, in lumps or little chips, coated in sugar and kept in boxes between thick sheets of paper...There were other fruit sweets devised in the medieval period, the ancestors of multi-coloured modern fruit jellies. The names for these sweets make them sound more like breakfast or teatime delicacies, but it is necessary to forget the modern meanings of these words for a moment. Take marmalade. Today, this is a jam-like condiment made of oranges and sugar, semi liquid and flecked with strips fo peel...But the name is derived from the medieval Portuguese marmelada, a stiff paste that was cut in slices rather than spread. The word derives from the Portuguese marmelo, or quince, since this fragrant yet knobbly item was originally the favoured fruit for preserving, and it became the term used by the mid sixteenth century to describe all kinds of fruits preserves,