🫙 Jar

A jar is a container with a wide mouth and a lid. The English word “jar” came from Arabic, where it meant a clay vessel. Glass jars hold jam, pickles and honey. At home, people keep milk, sour cream or soured milk in a glass jar, for example a three-litre one. Glass does not soak up smells and is easy to wash.

The tin can is linked above all with condensed milk. As early as 1820, the Frenchman Nicolas Appert boiled milk down so it would keep longer. Later, people began adding sugar to it, which stops microbes from growing. In 1856, the American Gail Borden opened the first condensed milk factory. Condensed milk in a sealed can can keep for years without a fridge. During the American Civil War, it was bought as a soldier's ration.

Today milk is more often sold in cartons and bottles. But glass jars are still popular at markets and on farms.