In episode 6 of series F, Stephen says that, in the States, jam is called jelly.
Well yes, and no.
Jam in the USA is, pretty much, the same jam as ours. In fact, Friends fans may remember one episode in particular, "The One With The Jam" (that's JAM, not jelly), in which Monica makes a lot of the stuff.
Also, from Wikipedia:
In the US, the term "jam" refers to a product made of whole fruit cut into pieces or crushed then heated with water and sugar to activate its pectin before being put into containers:
"Jams are usually made from pulp and juice of one fruit, rather than a combination of several fruits. Berries and other small fruits are most frequently used, though larger fruits such as apricots, peaches, or plums cut into small pieces or crushed are also used for jams. Good jam has a soft even consistency without distinct pieces of fruit, a bright colour, a good fruit flavor and a semi-jellied texture that is easy to spread but has no free liquid." - Berolzheimer R (ed) et al. (1959)
Jelly is a clear or translucent fruit spread made from sweetened fruit (or vegetable) juice and set using naturally occurring pectin. Additional pectin may be added where the original fruit does not supply enough, for example with grapes. Jelly can be made from sweet, savory or hot ingredients. It is made by a process similar to that used for making jam, with the additional step of filtering out the fruit pulp after the initial heating. A muslin or stockinette "jelly bag" is traditionally used as a filter, suspended by string over a bowl to allow the straining to occur gently under gravity.
So there you go. Their jam and what they call jelly are both made using pectin. Their jello is the same as our jelly, gelatine.
