National Fruitcake Day
On December 27th, fruitcake enthusiasts young and old, throughout the United States, celebrate National Fruitcake Day each year.
Fruitcake has long been a holiday gift-giving tradition, made with chopped candied or dried fruit, nuts, and spices, and occasionally soaked in spirits.
pomegranate seeds, pine nuts, and raisins are mixed into barley mash, dating back to ancient Rome. According to documents, makers added honey, spices, and preserved fruit in the Middle Ages. Fruitcake recipes vary from country to country, depending on available ingredients and culture.
Two innovations in the 16th century helped fruitcakes become more affordable and available in the 16th century. First, sugar from the American Colonies became abundant. It was discovered in second that high sugar levels could preserve fruit. These two activities resulted in a surplus candied fruit. Fruitcake making soared as a result.
- Typically, Americans produce fruitcakes that are abundant in fruit and nuts
- In 1913, mail-order fruitcake was introduced in the United States
- Charities often sell commercial fruitcakes from catalogs as a fundraising event
- The term "nutty as a fruitcake" was coined in 1935. The term came as a result of a surplus nuts that some Southern bakeries added to their fruitcakes due to their availability of inexpensive nuts
- The majority of mass-produced fruitcakes in America are alcohol-free
- liqueurs or brandy are often used in traditional recipes. Bakers then finish the fruitcake by coating it with powdered sugar
- According to some fruitcake manufacturers, the cakes deteriorated with age. Some fruitcake manufacturers soaked their fruitcakes in brandy-soaked linens, claiming that the cakes deteriorated with age
How to Observe #nationalfruitcakeday
Share a fruitcake tale or recipe. Or, perhaps both. You can bring someone to enjoy some fruitcake with you. No matter how you celebrate, use #NationalFruitcakeDay to post on social media.
To get a jump on next year, you can also try the other 5 Time-Honored Christmas Foods listed below.
The national fruitcake day is the longest in national fruitcake day history
We'll continue to experiment with recipes until we get it right. In the meantime, we haven't found the source of this timeless staple of holiday baking.
Fruitcake FAQ
I've never tried fruitcake because I've always heard it is disgusting. Q. Is that true? Is that true?
A. No, it doesn't have to be true. There's a difference between quality fruitcakes and those you might find at the convenience store Christmas shelf. Bakers make rich, nutty, and flavorful fruitcakes using quality ingredients. Q. Why did the fruitcake lose its popularity?
A. Historians point to a variety of reasons for the fruitcakes' downfall, including mass production, bad ingredients, and famous jokes. However, another reason may be that a good fruitcake takes time and effort, often up to a week to complete every step.
