Background

Wednesday, December 27, 2017

NATIONAL FRUITCAKE DAY










Made with chopped, candied or dried fruit,
nuts and spices and sometimes soaked in
“spirits,” fruitcake has been a holiday
gift-giving tradition for many years.
Rome is believed to be the creator of fruitcake,
and oneof the earliest recipes known comes
from ancient Rome listing pomegranate seeds,
pine nuts and raisins that were mixed into barley
mash.  Records indicate that in the Middle Ages, 
honey, spices, and preserved fruits were added.
 Recipes for fruitcake vary from country to country 
depending on available ingredients and tradition.
Sugar from the American Colonies along with the
 discovery that high concentrations of sugar could
 preserve fruits, created an excess of 
candied fruit hence making fruitcakes 
more affordable and much more popular starting
 in the 16th century. 

Typically, American fruitcakes are rich in fruits and nuts.

In America, mail-order fruitcake began in 1913. 

Commercial fruitcakes are often sold, from catalogs
by charities as fundraising events.

 In 1935, the expression “nutty as a fruitcake"
was coined during the time Southern bakeries,

Collin Street and Claxton, had access to cheap nuts. 
Most mass-produced fruitcakes in America are alcohol-free.

Some traditional recipes include liqueurs 
or brandy and then complete the fruitcake by covering it with 
powdered sugar.

Brandy soaked linens have been used to store 
fruitcakes as some people believe that they improve with age. 
HOW TO OBSERVE
Enjoy some fruitcake and use #NationalFruitcakeDay to post on 
social media.




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