When and how did marmalade become a stock part of the British breakfast?

The first mention in literature occurs in 1524 in the time of King Henry VIII in Letters and Papers of King Henry VIII (1870 VI 1 339), in which the collection mentions “Presented by Hull of Exeter one box of marmalade”. The product was packed in a box, not a jar.

It was originally called also the honey-apple, from the Latin melimelum, reflecting that the quince fruit was often grafted on to an apple stem, from the Portuguese quince, marmelo.

Now, of course, it is made with Seville oranges — still by boiling fruit with sugar so as to form a consistent mass.

Gerald Stonehill, Denham, Bucks

As a Scot (known for substantial breakfasts), I believe the word is a corruption of “Marie malade”, the sea sickness Mary Queen of Scots suffered from on her voyage from France to Leith to take up the Scottish crown. A paste of quinces and bitter oranges on board eased it. Janet Keiller, of nearby Dundee, made it in 1797, and Keiller’s Dundee Marmalade is still sold. A recipe for it appears in Mary Chafin’s handwritten Country Recipe Book, published in 1698, the year she married.

Ruth Fletcher, Beverley, Yorks

On holiday in Egypt I was informed by our Egyptian guide that Egyptians call their country Misr. What is the explanation of this? Indeed, are there other countries where the local name is so different from the generally used one?

The Arabic word for Egypt, which is used by the residents of that country and by Arabic speakers generally, is indeed Misr. However, the Hebrew name for Egypt, which is Mitzrayim, the Egypts, refers to the traditional division of Egypt into two parts: Upper Egypt, which is considered to be that part of the Nile Valley stretching southwards from Thebes (some say Luxor) to the First Cataract, while Lower Egypt refers to that part of the Nile Valley stretching northwards from Thebes or Luxor to the Nile Delta. The Pharaonic insignia, including the diadem or circlet, displayed emblems of the two Egypts.

Ron Lahav, Newcastle upon Tyne

Why do bakers have a different dozen from the rest of us?

A baker’s dozen consists of 13 items rather than 12, and originates from the 13th century. During the reign of Henry III, a law was passed to regulate the size and measure of bread and ale. Any baker that had not given enough bread to a customer faced harsh punishment.

In order to ensure that their measure did not fall short when people asked for “a dozen”, bakers would include an extra item. This meant if one became lost, damaged or stolen, there would still be a dozen left. In more modern times however, 13 provides a convenient way to cook items in an oven using hexagonal close packing methods.

Gemma Jones, Willingham, Cambs

Are handwritten postcodes now machine-read, or are they still subject to manual scrutiny?

The equipment does read handwritten addresses, but it sends an image of the mail for manual scrutiny when it fails to make sense of an address because, for example, it is badly written.

Ray Downing, Postal Mechanisation Study Circle

Questions

How many aircraft are in the sky worldwide at any one time?

J. Pinder, Mirfield, W Yorks

I have memories of a 78rpm record that was popular before the war which referred to a man for whom trains went “giddely-der” or, less frequently, “hynemenoosh”. Can anyone fill in the blanks?

Howard G. Allen, Southampton

Why does the French fortnight (quinzaine) apparently have a day more than ours?

R. S. Burton, Shepperton, Middx

Why don’t snorers wake themselves up?

Dennis J. Duggan, Welshpool, Powys

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