[PW] confusing food terminology

[Simon Cauchi]

On 1/05/2008, at 7:29 AM, Bye, Dan J wrote:

> The words 'preserve' and 'conserve' are also used more specifically to 
> indicate an (often expensive or unusual) jam. Although this is 
> generally regarded as pretentious today, both words were used this way 
> at least a century before the word 'jam' became common."

Which puts me in mind of a couplet in Sir Richard Fanshawe's _The 
Faithfull Shepherd_ (1647), a translation of Battista Guarini's _Il 
pastor fido_:

Learn women all from me this housewifery,
Make you conserve of Lovers to keep by.

The Italian goes:

Impari a le mie spese oggi ogni donna
a far conserva e cumulo d'amanti.