Food Safety Focus | Fruitcake

Food Safety Focus

I hope this message finds all of you and your families safe and well,

Today I wanted to talk about one of the most famous foods that usually comes out around the holiday season – the Fruitcake. Comedian Johnny Carson once joked that there was only one fruitcake in the whole world and people just keep passing the same one around! It may seem that way but this holiday favorite has a very interesting history, so let’s take a look and see what we can learn about the fruitcake today.

The fruitcake was famous in the Roman times as a food that packed a lot of energy for soldiers who were travelling across the known world, many times on foot. The Roman fruitcake would have been made with a mix of barley, pomegranate seeds, honey, spices, dried fruit and even mead to give the soldiers the boost of energy they needed for the long journeys and battles they would face.

Crusaders in the Middle Ages would also carry fruitcakes with them on their journeys for the church. The church actually banned butter from being used while making the treats because it was so good it had to be a sin! The butter ban was later lifted (thankfully) and the delicious bread had new life during the holiday season, as the upper class began gifting the fruitcake to carolers and friends alike.

Travelers brought fruitcake with them on the boats travelling to the New World to sustain them on the long journey; bringing the holiday tradition of the fruitcake with them that still lives on today.

I hope you had fun learning about fruitcake today and as always, thank you for all you do to provide safe food for our families each and every Day!

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Author: Trish Metts