Christmas Edition: The History of Fruitcakes

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash

You’ve probably seen and tasted fruitcakes at a Christmas party held at, probably, your grandma’s and whether you love it or hate it, we all know that those suckas can last for an eternity and will haunt you for the next few months. My family sometimes still eats fruitcakes even after Chinese New Year and it baffles me how they can last for so long. This year, I’ve decided to get to the bottom of this and found out that the history of fruitcakes actually goes a long way back!

In ancient Rome, fruitcakes were widely popular and were essential for festivals. Fruitcakes of some 2000 years ago consisted of pomegranate seeds, pine nuts, and raisins which were then mixed into barley mash and made into a cake. In the middle ages, they were made with honey, preserved fruit, and spices. As Europe progressed, raw materials because cheap and widely accessible in the 16^th century, and fruitcakes ended up containing a great deal of butter and sugar. This ended up in a ban of including butter and sugar in fruitcakes for a while as the government thought they were getting ‘sinfully rich’. In the 18^th century in Europe, farmers would bake ceremonial fruitcakes at the end of the nut harvest and would be eaten the next year instead, to celebrate the beginning of the next harvest as they hope that this would bring another successful year of harvest. Fruitcakes during this period were a symbol of produce, blessing, and provision. From the 19^th century, strangely, fruitcakes became a traditional wedding cake in England.

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Now, fruitcakes are made with dried fruits and nuts that have been soaked in sugar, resulting in candied fruits and nuts. Due to a large amount of sugar and the fact that these sugars reduce the water content in the cake, fruitcakes hardly go bad within a short period of time. Some recipes also recommend adding alcohol in the fruitcakes or storing it in a cloth soaked with alcohol thus contributing to the longevity of fruitcakes as alcohol kills bacteria.

As a tradition, some people bake fruitcakes every year that are meant to only be eaten the next year. If this doesn’t gross you out, it is also believed that a fruit cake can still be edible after 26 years if they are made with the right ingredients and are stored properly in an airtight container.

For the people who dislike fruitcakes, you’ll be pleased to know this. Every year in Manitou Springs, a contest is held to see who can throw their fruitcakes the farthest and with the highest accuracy. They’re also allowed to build their own mechanics to help them, be it a slingshot or even using their hands to throw the fruitcakes. To make up for the wasted food, everyone who is competing has to bring a donation to the local food bank, and everything is accepted, except fruitcakes.

For the ones who love it, did you know that Doe delivers mixed fruitcake to your doorstep? If you ever feel lazy to keep this tradition of having a fruitcake during Christmas, Doe can definitely help you out! Find out more here: https://www.foodline.sg/d/18631