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The Christmas Season is here and what would Christmas be like without Fruitcake. I have great memories of fruitcake from my childhood and still love it. A good fruitcake is hard to beat.
Fruitcakes are "holiday and wedding cakes which have a very heavy fruit content. The name fruitcake can be traced back as far as the Middle Ages. It is formed from a combination of the Latin frucus and the French frui or frug."
The oldest reference to fruitcake dates to Roman times. The recipe then included pomegranate seeds, Pine nuts, and raisins that were mixed in barley mash. During the Middle Ages, Crusaders and hunters carried these cakes to sustain them over long periods while away from home.
In the 1400s, the British began their love affair with the fruitcake. By the 18th century fruitcake became very popular. A Victorian tea would not be complete without it. In America, fruitcakes became popular in the 16th century. Sugar from the American Colonies created an excess of candied fruit, which made fruitcakes more affordable and popular.
Mail order fruitcakes in America began in 1913. They are now ordered by many for Christmas.
From The History of Fruitcake by Linda Stradley in web site "What's Cooking America" and from wikipedia, Fruit cake.