The Italian Jam Giada De Laurentiis Always Has In Her Pantry

We take Giada De Laurentiis's advice pretty seriously when it comes to anything culinary related, whether she's giving us hacks about how to make kitchen life easier or revealing her preferred brand of canned tomatoes. So, when she told the world that she always keeps white fig jam on hand, we were curious. How could this one, simple ingredient be so good that she always has it in her pantry? It turns out that white fig jam is extremely versatile. The tasty little gem is referred to as the "fruit of the gods" for good reason.

De Laurentiis's favorite white fig jam is specifically from Agrimontana, a brand that plucks its white figs from the dazzling shores of the Amalfi Coast. One of her favorite ways to eat the jam is to spread it on toast, though she also enjoys it on a cheese board (here are some other things she always includes on her charcuterie boards) or lathered on a crostata. What makes Agrimontana so special? De Laurentiis loves that you can see "the chunks of the actual jam" once you spoon it out of the jar, that "there's so much actual fig in this jam and very little of anything else," she said on her YouTube channel.

Azienda Agrimontana was founded in 1972 in Piedmont, Italy. The brand climbed the ranks to become one of Italy's top providers of jams, chestnuts, and candied fruits, working within a set of specific regulations that include no additives or preservatives. De Laurentiis's favorite jam, the white fig jam, is known as an "extra jam" (or "confettura le extra" in Italian) because it contains significantly more figs than a regular jam with no pectin to thicken it, which means the thickness of the jam comes strictly from the fruit itself. White fig jams are often described as sweet and tart, but De Laurentiis describes the flavor on her website as "a honeyed sweetness with a flavor like caramelized berries."

The unique taste makes white fig jam a great addition to charcuterie boards, yes, but it's also an interesting accent on parfaits, fruit cups, and oatmeal. You can use it in baking, too, whether squished between two cookies or layered in a fruity coffee cake. Bring it to the breakfast table by scooping some white fig jam on pancakes or waffles, or bring it to lunch by pairing it with a salty ham sandwich or gooey grilled cheese. A jelly donut filled with white fig jam doesn't sound half bad, either.