were preserved for some weeks in seawater or a 5 to 10% brine while they were shipped from Asia and the Middle East to Europe; now they’re brined to develop flavor Yeasts grow on the peel and produce alcohol, which then supports acetic acid bacteria The result is the production of volatile esters that deepen the aroma of the peel The preserved lemons of Morocco and other north African countries have a similar character; they’re made by packing cut lemons with salt and fermenting for days to weeks Sugar Preserves Another venerable technique for preserving fruits is to boost their sugar content Like salt, sugar makes the fruit inhospitable to microbes: it dissolves, binds up water molecules, and draws moisture out of living cells, thus crippling them Sugar molecules are quite heavy compared to the sodium and chloride ions in salt, so it takes a larger mass of sugar to do the same job of preserving The usual proportion by weight of added sugar to fruit is about 55 to 45, with sugar accounting for nearly two-thirds of the final cooked mixture Of course sugar preserves are very sweet, and this is a large part of their appeal But they also develop an intriguing consistency otherwise found only in meat jellies — a firm yet moist solidity that can range from stiff and chewy to quiveringly tender And they can delight the eye with a crystalline clarity: in the 16th century, Nostradamus described a quince jelly whose color “is so diaphanous that it resembles an oriental ruby.” These remarkable qualities arise from the nature of pectin, one of the components of the plant cell wall, and its fortuitous interaction with the fruit’s acids and the cook’s added sugar The Evolution of Sugar Preserves The ... oriental ruby.” These remarkable qualities arise from the nature of pectin, one of the components of the plant cell wall, and its fortuitous interaction with the fruit’s acids and the cook’s added sugar The. .. for nearly two-thirds of the final cooked mixture Of course sugar preserves are very sweet, and this is a large part of their appeal But they also develop an intriguing consistency otherwise found only in meat...chloride ions in salt, so it takes a larger mass of sugar to do the same job of preserving The usual proportion by weight of added sugar to fruit is about 55 to 45, with sugar accounting