Some fruits have more pectin than others. I suspect that this is the reason for certain traditional fruit combinations. Anyway, throwing in a few under-ripe fruits is supposed to help.
Back in the olden days, jams were a lot softer. The firmness of a jam is somewhat aesthetic. It shouldn't run off the bread and it shouldn't be too firm to spread. Anything else is a matter of opinion.
The other day I had the misfortune of trying to spread commercial jam on a piece of toasted wonderbread. The jam was so hard I had to chop and mash it before it could be spread at all. And the crappy bread didn't help.
Back in the olden days, jams were a lot softer. The firmness of a jam is somewhat aesthetic. It shouldn't run off the bread and it shouldn't be too firm to spread. Anything else is a matter of opinion.
The other day I had the misfortune of trying to spread commercial jam on a piece of toasted wonderbread. The jam was so hard I had to chop and mash it before it could be spread at all. And the crappy bread didn't help.
