From a paper by Consul Mason, of Marseilles, we learn a good deal
about the business of preserving fruits by the crystallising process
peculiar to South-eastern France, and practised on a large scale at
Apt in the department of Vaucluse, at Clermont in Auvergne, as well
as at Marseilles, Grasse, Avignon, and other places. It is curious
to find these preserved fruits exported not only to England and the
United States, but also to other countries, such as Algiers, the East
and West Indies, and even South America, where nature has made the
dwellers so far independent of preserved fruit. The fruits preserved
by the crystallised process are chiefly pears, cherries, apricots,
pine-apples, plums, figs, citrons, oranges, melons, and a dwarf orange
called ‘chinois.’ Peaches are found to be too costly to be treated to
any extent in this fashion.
For the purposes of crystallisation, the fruit must be fresh, clear of
all decay and blemish, and of the proper degree of ripeness. The chief
thing to be done in this process is to extract the juice of the fruit
and replace it in the pulp with liquid sugar, which, upon hardening,
not only preserves the fruit from fermentation and decay, but retains
it in its original form and consistency.
The fruit is first carefully assorted in respect to size and uniform
degree of ripeness. Pears, pine-apples, and quinces are pared; citrons
are cut into quarters and soaked a month in seawater; and the ‘pips’
of apricots, cherries, and peaches are carefully removed. This work,
which requires a certain degree of skill, is chiefly done by women.
When thus prepared, the fruit is immersed in boiling water, which
quickly penetrates the pulp, dissolving and diluting the juice, which
is thereby nearly eliminated; then the fruit is taken from the water
and drained, leaving only the solid portion of the pulp intact. The
period of immersion must be regulated by the size and ripeness of the
fruit. If immersed too long, the pulp is either over-cooked, or is left
too dry and woody. If taken out too soon, the juices left in the pulp
prevent perfect absorption of the sugar afterwards, and by eventually
causing fermentation, destroy the value of the product. A skilful
workman can tell by the colour and appearance of the pulp when it is
properly ‘blanched.’ For the different grades of fruits, sugar-sirups
of different degrees of density are required: the softer the fruit, the
stronger the sirup required for its preservation. The sirup having been
prepared by dissolving the sugar in pure water, the fruit is immersed
in it and left at rest for a certain period in large earthenware
pans, glazed inside. The sirup penetrates the pulp, and gradually
withdraws and replaces the remaining fruity juice, which, as it exudes
and mingles with the transparent liquid, produces a certain filmy or
clouded appearance, which marks the commencement of fermentation.
When this has reached a certain stage, the vessel containing the
sirup and fruit is placed over the fire and heated to two hundred and
twelve degrees, which corrects the fermentation. If the sirup is of
proper density, the process of impregnating the fruit with sugar will
be complete in about six weeks, during which period it is sometimes
necessary to perform the heating process three times. The fruit now
goes through one of two finishing processes according as it is to be
‘glazed’ or ‘crystallised.’ Some manufacturers are said to quicken the
crystallisation of fruit by the use of a powerful antiseptic called
salicylic acid; but although time, labour, and sugar are thereby saved,
Mr Mason believes it is at the expense of quality in the finished
product.