People love to hate on fruitcake and yet we still eat it — here’s why it remains
a holiday staple
. Fruitcake is a holiday staple, even though it’s often the butt of jokes. Fruitcake dates back to the ancient Romans, who mashed up barley, pomegranate seeds, nuts, and raisins and held it together with honey.
What percentage of the population likes fruitcake?
27, researchers asked 1,000 Americans their opinions around the dessert. » Only
11 percent of Americans
like fruitcake. A full 89 percent of Americans don’t care for it — and among women, fruitcake tolerance is even lower.
Why do people not eat fruitcake?
The Origins of Fruitcake
Fruitcakes became holiday staples as early as the 1800s and were considered an easy way to share the gifts of each year’s harvest. However, rather than eat them right away, people would wait an entire year before serving them, out of
superstition that it would bring good luck for the new year
.
What country did fruitcake originate in?
Fruitcake has been around since
ancient Roman times
. You may know that fruitcake has roots in England, but that’s not where it originated. It has been around since ancient Roman times, where it was made of a mix of pine nuts, barley mash, pomegranate seeds, raisins, and honeyed wine.
Where is fruitcake most popular?
Most of the time, fruitcakes include cherries, dried fruit, pineapple, raisins, and candied citrus. In the United States, most fruitcakes are also made with pecans, as pecans are native to the South. Not surprisingly, the fruitcake tradition is strongest in
the South and throughout Texas
.
Should fruitcake be refrigerated?
Fruitcakes taste better when the are ‘ripe’. Proper ripening takes at least one month. Once they are properly wrapped,
cakes should be stored in a cool place or in a refrigerator
. Fruitcakes should be brushed or spritzed weekly with liquor to maintain moisture and intensify flavors.
Who makes the best fruitcake in Texas?
After spending 122 years perfecting the DeLuxe®,
Collin Street Bakery
has developed the reputation of producing the best fruitcake in the world.
Is fruit cake unhealthy?
Sure dried fruit, when unsweetened and eaten in moderation, can be a good way to get antioxidants and fiber, and nuts are a tasty way to get some healthy fats and protein, but BEWARE:
Fruitcake can be high in calories and fat
, outweighing any benefits of the individual ingredients.
Why does fruitcake last so long?
Fruitcake is
a shelf-stable food unlike any other
. All those dry ingredients don’t give microorganisms enough moisture to reproduce, as Ben Chapman, a food safety specialist at North Carolina State University, explained in 2014. … That keeps bacteria from developing on the cake.
How long will fruitcake keep without alcohol?
Fruitcakes without any alcohol should be consumed
within a few days of baking
or tightly wrapped and frozen for up to six months.
Can fruit cake upset your stomach?
It can be made weeks in advance, but the classic Christmas fruitcake is also a
recipe for bloating
. That’s because it contains a large amount of dried fruits, which have a large amount of fructose and sorbitol.
Why do we eat fruitcake at Christmas?
Why is the fruitcake a traditional holiday staple? According to the New York Times, fruitcake dates back to a food enjoyed by ancient Romans called satura — a mix of barley, pomegranate seeds, nuts, and raisins held together with honey. Some speculate that this dish was
invented as a way to preserve fruit
.
Who invented fruitcake?
The ancient Romans made a mishmash of barley, pomegranate seeds, nuts and raisins as a sort of energy bar; however the modern fruitcake can be traced back to
the Middle Ages
as dried fruits became more widely available and fruited breads entered Western European cuisine.
What is the oldest fruit cake?
Guinness World Records doesn’t have an entry for the oldest fruitcake, but as for cakes in general, the Ford fruitcake is nowhere near the world’s oldest, The Detroit News reported. That honor goes to a
4,176-year-old cake
that was found in an Egyptian tomb, according to the Guinness organization.
What is the green stuff in fruit cake?
Paradise Green Candied Cherries
–also known as Glace Green Cherries–have been a part of candied fruit recipes for generations. Green candied cherries are sweet and chewy, and complement red candied cherries in a variety of recipes, making for a more colorful and tasty baked treat.
Is Stollen the same as fruitcake?
Fruitcake is typically made with chopped candied and dried fruit (cherries, dates, pineapple, etc.) …
Stollen is a made much the same
, again with candied fruits and nuts but apparently without the rum soaking. It’s also a little less dense, more of a bread really. It is traditionally sprinkled with powdered sugar.
