Orange jam made with Washington navel oranges from the house of Maison Perrotte. Photo courtesy Maison Perrotte. Handout via The Gourmet Gazette

Jam has been with us since practically the dawn of civilization. The first known recipe came from the usual suspect Apicius (circa first century AD) and his The Art of Cooking, believed to the oldest cookbook in the world. But other notable jams lovers include the 16th century French astrologer Nostradamus who wrote a treatise on the subject and jam lover Louis XIV whose jams were made from fruits from the gardens at Versailles where even tropical pineapple was grown. But today the region of Angers is home to French craft jam at its finest. Maison Perrotte, or the House of Perrotte’s flagship boutique is nestled in the old and once royal French city of Angers in the lower Loire Valley and which was once the capital of the province of the Duchy of Anjou.

And from here emerge some of the best jams in France and, as we shall see the world, has to offer. For the house is headed up by Stéphan Perrotte, the World Champion Jam Maker 2015, one year after being named the best jam maker in France. The fresh fruits are at the heart of his over 500 recipes that the professional butcher-caterer turned jam maker elaborates into authentic craft products. Kumquat, pear, pineapple, apricot are just a few of the fruits he uses in his jams or confitures as they are called in French.

In his workshop, which he founded in 2016, Mr. Perrotte works with only the freshest fruits from specific locations in full season. Rhubarbe from the Somme in northern France, citrus fruits from the local Anjou region, apricots from the Roussillon in southwestern France and  clementines from the sunny island of Corsica. He lets the fruits provide 55 percent of natural sugar – 60% is required to obtain the jam denotation in France – so as not to add extra, unnecessary sugar. Mr. Perrotton, who was also awarded the prestigious title of Master Craft Jam Maker by his colleagues, simmers his carefully selected fruits in copper pans. Each fruit is treated with utmost care and creativity. Strawberries for example are offered up in 12 different jams. 

Offbeat fruits also come into play like the calamondin, a hybrid citrus fruit. Other original combinations include fruits blended with wild herbs and plants like abricots with meadowsweet, a herbaceous plant found, as it name implies, in meadows. Another winning combination is the fig, orange and heracleum, a wild herb of the carrot family. The house has also done research into local Angevine recipes made with local fruits bringing out the Ripopée composed of apples, pears and quince and which was served to patients in the hospital of Angers in 1861. And don’t miss the Perrotte Masterclasses organized inside the Angers boutique by appointment. ©Trish Valicenti for The Gourmet Gazette.18, rue Saint Aubin, 49100 Angers, France, + 33 (0)9 86 11 54 22. https://maisonperrotte.fr/