"Fruitcake" news and stories

Happy National Fruitcake Month!

We've already stated our case, "In Defense of Fruitcake," to rally support for the oft-mocked dessert. No longer relegated to the choice gift for (ouch) distant friends and family, the traditional holiday fruitcake is again appreciated for its assortment of nuts, candied fruit, fresh fruit, a variety of spices and -- of course! -- brandy or liquor to preserve the bread.

The cake originates from the Middle Ages, when crusaders would carry along the bread to sustain themselves on long journeys. Though today's fruitcakes will still keep for years, with varieties like KitchenDaily's deep-fried fruitcake or the holiday classic, or even the modernized fruitcake macaroons.

Which are the best packaged fruitcakes? We put them to the test. Click here to see the results, and how to order.

Become a member of the Slashfood Flickr pool to get a shot at having your photos featured on the site.

What can we say about fruitcake that hasn't already been said? The key to making one that won't be regifted ad infinitum is to use best-quality moist dried fruit. No, fruit that is both dried and moist is not a contradiction. This recipe is the one that will change your mind about fruitcake: it's chockfull of candied orange peel, and dried cherries, apricots, pineapple and currants.

At KitchenDaily, we also put 11 packaged fruitcakes to a "mom-approved" taste test. (That's right, our moms were the tasters -- they genuinely love fruitcakes.) Click here to see the results, and find out how to mail-order the winner.

More fruitcake recipes from KitchenDaily.

The first of many seasonal catalogues from Saks Fifth Avenue just arrived at my house. There are only three words of text on the cover: Better Than Fruitcake.

And so it begins, the ritual insults of the gift that time forgot, the humble yet seemingly inedible confection called fruitcake.

There are gag fruitcakes like this inflatable one ("The fruitcake they'll actually want to get!") and corny fruitcake jokes -- there's even a Society for the Preservation and Protection of Fruitcake.

But when did fruitcake become the punch line to a hundred jokes (and not Borscht Belt stuff either: a Jewish friend of mine assures me that fruitcake is strictly for the goyim)?

Food historians suggest that fruitcake -- any cake in which dried fruits and nuts do battle with the batter -- is older than Moses. Ancient Egyptians entombed fruitcake, while Romans carried it into battle, probably for the same reason: Fruitcake is built to last, and did, well into medieval times.

• Charlotte's leading toffee maker tells Kathleen Purvis it's "nice to be able to provide that much happiness without having to have sex."
• Southern fans of Jane Parker fruitcake no longer have to make pilgrimages to Connecticut to buy their favorite Yuletide treat -- the cake's for sale online.
• When holidays collide with salad days, bring an affordable shrimp and black bean salad to the potluck. If money's tight, omit the shrimp.
• At Brazilian bakeries like Tropical in Matthews, N.C., a pastry's shape is a clue to its filling.

This stands to reason, right? It's Christmastime, so it's natural that December should be National Fruitcake Month. There's an old joke that says there's only one fruitcake, and it has been passed along to everyone around the world for the past 40 years. I admit I've never had a good fruitcake, though I'll also admit after having a couple of bad ones I never sought out another, and my family isn't big on fruitcakes.

But there was must be a recipe for a good one, right? Post (or link to) yours in the comments below. In the meantime, I found two that might be worth trying: Alton Brown probably makes a good fruticake because he's usually carefully about his recipes. His is called Free Range Fruitcake. And here's one for Chocolate Fruitcake, from Nigella Lawson.

Here's a quick history of the fruitcake.