Frigidberry Jam

The ultimate comfort food: toasted homemade bread spread thick with frigidberry jam and served with a hot drink

In the northern countries of Rhovan and Necros, frigidberry jam is made from local berries grown in the foothills and on the mountainsides. This jam has been a staple of this region for thousands of years, and for some settlements, like Lapirus, the berry jam provides much needed nutrients and calories in the winter months.
This jam gets its name from the harsh conditions of these berries' natural growing range.

by Sasha Matic from Pixabay

Berry Medley

The composition of the frigidberry jam varies from region to region and year to year based on the available berries. The more expensive and more highly-coveted jams will feature the rarer berries growing in the harsher conditions at higher elevations. Many claim these harsh conditions produce better tasting fruits and jams.
Traditionally, frigidberry jam and preserves are made with foraged berries located throughout Rhovan and Necros. Some families keep the tradition, foraging for their berries in autumn and preserving them for the long winter months. Others will plant billberries, crowberries, raspberries, and more near their homes for jam making.

by ũ Phạm Phương Linh from Pixabay

However, plenty of small farms and local businesses cultivate the berries and produce the jam. When supplies are plentiful, they will even sell the preserves to some of their southern neighbors, like the Wild Bison Tavern on the border of Salaris.
Berries (can include some or all):

Wild blueberries

Bilberries

Huckleberries

Cranberries

Rhovanberries

Crowberries

Cowberries / lingonberries

Bearberries

Raspberries

+ others

Over the years, added spices gain and lose popularity, and some makers experiment with add-ins such as mint and other herbs or small additions of imported fruits, like lemon. However, the classic frigidberry jam remains the most popular.

Other Names

Frozenberry Jam
Northernberry Jam

Item type

Consumable, Food / Drink

Color

Bright red to dark red or deep purple

Production Area

Rhovan
Necros

Similar Products

Frigidberry Preserves (from northern berries)
Wildberry jam & preserves (made anywhere and varies by region)

Jam: made with mashed fruits
Preserves: made with whole fruits

It just doesn't get better.

Fierce Competition

Both foraged and farmed berries are favorites of a variety of wildlife, including:

• Birds - many species
• Bears
• Hares & other small creatures
• Furhan Goats

by NickyPe from Pixabay

History

The earliest version of this jam/preserve was made by boiling the berries in water and relying on freezing or cold storage for preservation.

Greatly reduced maple syrup was later added to sweeten the jam and better preserve it during the (slightly) warmer months.

Early versions of the jam were often preserved with honey when it was available through trade with warmer areas. Honey has been used for 1000s of years.

Once introduced through trade, refined sugarcane quickly became the preferred preservative and sweetener, increasing shelf life for cheaper.

*Some historians claim the honey-preserved jam came first and inspired the maple syrup preservation technique, which is unique to the northern mountain regions.

More recently, producers experiment with sugar refined from beetroots, as these can be grown and refined locally. However, this manufacturing process is costly and inefficient and therefore only gains popularity when sugarcane is too expensive to import and/or supply is low.

Black Crowberries by tkruke from Pixabay