A fruit butter is a sweet spread made of fruit cooked to a paste, then lightly sweetened. It falls into the same category as jelly and jam. Apple butter and plum butter are common examples, but fruit butters can be made from any firm fruit.[1] Fruit pastes, such as quince cheese are popular in Latin American countries, are similar but more highly sweetened and jelled. They are sold in shallow tins or as wrapped bricks, while fruit butters usually come in wide-mouthed jars and are more common in Central and Eastern Europe.
 Powidl, a European plum butter | |
| Type | Spread |
|---|---|
| Main ingredients | Fruit |
In order to make fruit butter, the fruit is cooked on a low temperature until much of its water has evaporated, and is then blended. Sweeteners such as honey or sugar can be added, as are spices.
In Romania, Magiun of Topoloveni (plum butter of Topoloveni) is a food specialty with protected designation of origin (PDO) which is made entirely out of one ingredient: plums, without any sweeteners or preservatives.[2][3]
Varieties
- Apple butter
- Banana paste (mariola)
- Cherry butter
- Fig butter or paste
- Guava paste (Cajeta de guayaba, mariola or bocadillo)
- Mango butter or paste (Cajeta de mango)
- Pear butter
- Plum butter, such as (powidl) (Poland, Austria, Czech Republic) and magiun of Topoloveni (Romania)
- Pumpkin butter
- Sirop de Liège
