Results: Fruitcake Miscellany

Tucked away in the attic, inside a box labeled "Christmas Decorations We No Longer Put Up but Can't Bring Ourselves to Throw Away," is a fake fruitcake. Gorgeously wrapped and ready for a Dirty Santa/White Elephant gift exchange that was cancelled eons ago by a new boss who caught wind of the always rowdy and sometimes contentious events of past years. Don't you think this would have been the best holiday gag gift ever?

Rumor has it that fruitcakes have been found in tombs of Ancient Egyptian royalty. Do you consider fruitcake food "fit for royalty?"

The world's oldest recorded Christmas Fruitcake was baked in 1878. Sadly, the baker, Fidelia Ford, (who believed in aging her fruitcake for a year) passed away before it was served. The family honored her memory by displaying the cake at holiday gatherings for many years thereafter. The cake's fame spread and it was featured on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in 2003. Do you think fruitcake gets better with age?

The early 20th century saw the peak popularity of fruitcake in the US. However, its popularity has been dropping off for several decades. On November 22, 1978, the late Johnny Carson cracked what may be his most enduring joke: "The worst gift is a fruitcake. There is only one fruitcake in the entire world, and people keep sending it to each other." What do you think led to the decline in fruitcake popularity in the US?

Personal opinion? The best part of fruitcakes was the pretty tins they used to come in. When my oldest started asking me to buy fruitcake, I retaliated by making (for the first time) my grandmother's Applesauce Fruitcake. More cake than fruit, it's still full of dates, raisins, pecans, and those scary red cherries. She saw the light and I am now doomed to make these yearly. So, before I leave to start cutting up fruit, I'll ask: Do you like fruitcake?