Much aligned, much beloved. It’s the Christmas fruitcake that some say could be used as a spare tire in a pinch. But we fruitcake lovers know best. It’s a wonderful addition to the Christmas dinner table.
Just feast your eyes on that beauty, typically rich in fruit and nuts. And quite sweet. The fruitcake began in ancient Rome and quickly spread to Europe, then to colonial America.
Despite all the history and worldwide popularity, fruitcake isn’t everyone’s favorite holiday treat. Those cakes can be really heavy. And maybe because fruitcake lasts so long they often get forgotten, or re-gifted, and end up sitting around on shelves. December 27 is National Fruitcake Day, but then a little more than a week later it’s Fruitcake Toss Day on January 7. One town in Colorado takes getting rid of their unwanted fruitcake very seriously. Every year, Manitou Springs has a contest to see who can throw their fruitcakes the farthest and with the greatest accuracy. People build catapults, slingshots, or just hurl the cakes by hand. To make up for all the lost food, everyone competing has to bring a donation to the local food bank — anything except fruitcake!
Nonetheless, we lovers of fruitcake can’t wait for the holidays so we can enjoy this treat that has been around for 2000 years. Ah…..not the same cake, just the recipe. Enjoy !
Credit to What’s cooking America, cbc.ca and Wikipedia.org
