A regal history of fruitcake
The fruitcake can be traced to ancient Egypt when delicious and long-lasting cakes were placed in the great pyramids with deceased royal dignitaries to sweeten their experience in the afterlife.
A forerunner of the fruitcake actually fueled Ancient Roman warriors who carried a mixture of barley, pomegranate seeds, nuts, and raisins mixed with honeyed wine. The cakes — called satura — sustained them through their long marches to the furthest corners of the empire.
And in medieval times, European crusaders would carry their version of Christian fruitcakes made with bread, honey, spices, dried fruit, and mead with them on their six-month treks to sack the Holy Land.
But by the 1400s, the rich deliciousness of the fruitcake’s flavor would become so sinfully excessive, the Catholic Church prohibited bakers from using butter for cakes during Advent — a time for fasting. This forced knights to carry a less flavorful cake called stollen — which is the German version of fruitcake — and made from flour, oil, yeast, and water.
The devilish delight’s papal dispensation
It was only after a plea from a desperate and delicacy-starved Saxon prince to allow his family and royal associates to indulge in the devilishly delicious cakes that Pope Innocent officially — and mercifully — lifted the notorious butter ban, after sprinkling in a tax that made the decadent dessert even more exclusive.
Once Europe’s aristocracy initiated the practice of gifting carolers and those of more meager means during the Christmas season, the venerable fruitcake became a holiday staple.
And when British settlers came to the New World, they stacked up on the sturdy holiday staple, which was … er … “bread” to survive the months-long trip across the Atlantic. It became all the more popular with settlers when they landed on these shores.
In more recent history, fruitcake has become a perennial holiday gift, due to its ability to withstand mail delivery and punchlines from even the most biting comics without losing an ounce of dignity… or flavor!
The History of Fruitcake
FAQ
Where did fruit cake originate from?
Did fruitcake originate in Egypt?
Is fruit cake a southern thing?
What countries eat fruit cake?
Where did fruitcakes come from?
America’s two most famous fruitcake companies, Claxton’s of Claxton, Georgia, and Collin Street of Corsicana, Texas, got their start in this heyday of mail-order food. By the early 1900s, U.S. mailrooms were full of the now ubiquitous fruitcake tins.
What is the oldest fruitcake ever made?
Two friends from Iowa have been exchanging the same fruitcake since the late 1950s. Even older is the fruitcake left behind in Antarctica by the explorer Robert Falcon Scott in 1910. But the honor for the oldest known existing fruitcake goes to one that was baked in 1878 when Rutherford B. Hayes was president of the United States.
When did fruitcake become popular?
In the 18th century, fruitcake (then known as plum cakes) were outlawed throughout continental Europe for being “sinfully rich.” That didn’t last long, though, and eventually fruitcake went back to being super popular. In the 1800s, people put it under their pillows. Fruitcake was part of some pretty odd traditions back in the day.
When did fruitcake become a holiday tradition?
As late as the 1950s, fruitcakes were a widely esteemed part of the American holiday tradition. A 1953 Los Angeles Times article called fruitcake a “holiday must,” and in 1958, the Christian Science Monitor asked, “What Could Be a Better Gift Than Fruitcake?”