MARBLE FALLS — The fruit cake. Yes, it’s much maligned, but does it deserve such a reputation?
And from where did this Christmas staple come?
The fruit cake can possibly date its lineage back to the Roman Empire, or at least the Romans. Now, we’re not going to say fruit cake served as the foundation of the Roman Empire, but it might have been something soldiers ate.
Early versions contained barley, pomegranate seeds, nuts, and raisins. Packed into a bread or cake, this was Rome’s version of an energy bar but without the added sugar, fancy wrapping, and marketing.
Let’s not forget how large the Roman Empire grew and how much it influenced the world — then and now.
Today’s fruit cake recipe probably got its start in the Middle Ages. During this period, dried fruits had become more readily available.
There were several variations of the fruit cake, especially from country to country.
Italy has the dense panforte, Germany boasts the stollen, and the Caribbean islands claim the black cake.
And, of course, there’s my Aunt Mary Ann’s rum cake version, which is basically soaking a fruit cake (store-bought or homemade) in rum for a few hours or overnight (depending on if she forgot about it), serving it up, and watching the fun begin.
Fruit cakes, over the years, became quite popular and grew into a Christmas and special occasion staple. Queen Victoria of England chose a fruit cake for her wedding cake, and it was reported that Prince Charles and Princes Diana as well as Prince William and Kate Middleton chose the same for their nuptial celebrations.
It is quite common for holiday partygoers to bring a fruit cake when they head to a friend’s or relative’s Christmas event.
So what happened? How did we turn on this confectionary creation?
Well, maybe the aversion started after the fruit cake became mass-produced and marketed. They are now ubiquitous in their tin trays as they crisscross the country via the postal service or in the back of the family station wagon.
The late Johnny Carson joked that there’s only one fruit cake in the world, and we just keep passing it around.
Others say it really isn’t the fruit cake’s fault. Some people just use a recipe that is less than appealing.
Whatever the reason, the fruit cake has fallen from grace as a Christmas dessert.
It doesn’t have to stay that way. All it takes are a few brave folks willing to cut into that fruit cake at the end of the dessert line, drop a chunk on their plate, and enjoy.
daniel@thepicayune.com
