My middle-aged French friend visiting me said this morning as she was slathering beaucoups amounts of grape jelly on her bread that "we don't have grape jam in France" - something that simply shocked me.

"What the French don't make or eat grape jam or jelly with all those grapes," I retorted.

"No," my French friend said - I make jam out of quince and some berries but not grapes."

Well lordy lordy the French with all their grapes have never thought to make jam or jelly out of them - they certainly have lots of other types of jam so why not grape?

"Perhaps we use all our grapes for wine," my friend speculated.

So maybe folks asking those perpetual questions about what can I bring French friends they do not have - perhaps the answer besides the old standby 'beef jerky' could also be 'grape jam," if my friend is indeed correct .

jam and jelly are two different things; which one is it?

grape jelly, an abomination, lol I thought only small children ate that, its basically grapejuice and sugar ,, no actual fruit at all.. nasty, lol

I have a feeling you can't buy "Cheeze Whiz" in France either ...and theres a lot of cheese there too!

It is possible Bonne Maman only makes their grape jelly for export, but they do make it

http://bonnemaman.elsstore.com/view/...7221&cid=28811

The French eat grapes, both green and dark colors, but they don't eat wine grapes. So they don't use all their grapes for wine. Wine grapes are generally not used to make jelly in America either.

tant pis - I would love to have some alcoholic grape jam for breaking my fast!

Grape Jelly : http://www.huile-olive-tapenade.fr/3...-sud-de-france

Grape Jam : http://www.hediard.fr/epicerie-sucre...-fine-jam.html
http://mieux-vivre.auchan.fr/confitu...s-oublies.html

Justinparis and I were typing at the same time:

You can find lots of recipes online for gelee de raisins (grape jelly). some from Canada but quite a few from France.

Also,, if you've ever eaten "Laughing Cow" cheese, it is made in France and widely available in France (La Vache qui Rit) and i think it every bit as awful as Cheese Whiz.

From the French website:

"Ten million portions of The Laughing Cow are enjoyed each day around the world — that’s a jaw-dropping 4,600 every minute and piled one on top of the other, they would be as high as 500 Eiffel towers!"

.." I would love to have some alcoholic grape jam for breaking my fast!<<""

There is a great deal of wine jelly made in places like Napa or Oregon, and of course port wine jelly is commonplace in Britain. I'm sure you can order tons of alcoholic wine jelles or alcohol-laced jams online.

I don't think I've ever seen grape jam in the UK. My guess is that it would simply be too sweet and insubstantial in flavour, and that may be the same for France.

I bought some wine jelly home from Rome; it had the consistency of what is often called a "cheese" here in the UK and it was delicious with cheese.

i'm planning to try and get it again when i go in February, if I can find the shop! [strangely, it was sold in a chocolatiere, one of the few i found in Rome; so i'll be able to get some chocs to bring home too!]

They don't have grape jelly or jam in Germany either. Why, I don't know. Wish they did.

Grape jelly/jam as we know it here in the USA is disgusting.

There are at least a dozen kinds of grape- and wine-based confitures I can think of that are widely available in the Dordogne. Every food store carries them. I have one in my fridge now that is made with Montbazillac.

I can't imagine there even is such a thing as grape "jam" , only jellies. The flesh of grapes so mostly sugar and water, and the skins can be tough, rather chewy if concentrated in a a jam like substance.

The jellies StCirq mentions are nothing like "grape jelly"we all know about here in North America, but are rather lovely wine based gellies that one could serve with cheese and pates ..

I bought a grape jam but it was a Fig and Grape Jam

Agree that most grape jelly or jam is awful. In europe you are more likely to get preserves - raspberry or strawberry or even blueberry - tasting a lot better than Welche's purple sugar water.

Know we KNOW why some of you got divorced!!!

now we KNOW why some of you got divorced!!!>>

really Dukey?

do tell.

I confirm that there is no grape jam in French supermarkets.

But there are so many other varieties that I have never worried about it.

<< Laughing Cow" cheese...it [is] every bit as awful as Cheese Whiz >>

OMG - zeppole and I agree on something!

I hate grape jelly. I ate it religiously as a child and now the stuff will never again pass my lips.

Kerouac :
Did you see the links above (at 4.39 pm)? Auchan sells grape jam :
http://mieux-vivre.auchan.fr/confitu...s-oublies.html