Tastes Like Christmas: Fruitcake
I was in search of the perfect Christmas taste. It looked like a fruitcake, but, I thought no, we really don't EAT fruitcake in America. We just make jokes about fruit cake in America. Then again, there was no denying fruitcake was the epitome of Christmas.
One of my first memories fruitcake is the one my father received as a gift when I was about 8 years old. He sniggered as he handed it to my mother. It had a place on the counter throughout the holidays and eventually ended up at the back of the refrigerator where it stayed for a couple of years. My mother finally threw it out.
Then there was the time I read the most enticing story about tropical fruitcake. The incredibly long preparation and hard to find ingredients were worth the effort, the article said and it was finished in royal icing , white and beautifully decorated when complete. I sent the article to my sister-in-law, expounding on how fabulous the recipe sounded. I conned her into making this cake that took--like--2 months to complete! She brought it to our family Christmas dinner and it looked great. I didn't even try it----it was fruitcake!. She said later that her parents, --fruitcake lovers--- really liked it, but she didn't really care for it. Imagine, taking FOREVER to make a cake and still not liking the result!
Fruitcake does have a long and distinguished history and is revered in many European countries as well as Japan. It is known to date back to Roman times and was used as a way to preserve part of the nut harvest. The origin of fruitcake appears to stem from the English Plum Cake, a traditional steamed cake made at the holidays. Sugar as a preservative gained popularity, and a greater variety of fruits were available as "candied" and eventually added. Brandy is the traditional flavoring and acts as a preservative. It really is true that the cakes can lasts for months.
Then, while studying pastry in Paris, I ATE it! The perfect fruitcake. It was dense, sweet, and had no rum, brandy or bourbon. It cut like a dream and immediately transported me to a Currier and Ives scene of Christmas. This was a fruitcake I wanted to eat, must eat and craved to eat.