Posted on 12/27/2024 5:53:56 AM PST by Red Badger
NATIONAL FRUITCAKE DAY
Across the United States, fruitcake lovers young and old, commemorate National Fruitcake Day each year on December 27th.
#NationalFruitcakeDay
Made with chopped candied or dried fruit, nuts, and spices and sometimes soaked in spirits, fruitcake has been a holiday gift-giving tradition for many years.
Dating back to ancient Rome, one of the earliest known recipes lists pomegranate seeds, pine nuts, and raisins mixed into barley mash. Records indicate that in the Middle Ages, makers added honey, spices, and preserved fruits. Recipes for fruitcakes vary from country to country, depending on available ingredients and tradition.
In the 16th century, two achievements crystallized to make fruitcakes more affordable and accessible. First, sugar from the American Colonies became abundant. Second, it was discovered that high concentrations of sugar could preserve fruits. These two actions resulted in excess candied fruit. Consequently, fruitcake making grew.
Typically, Americans produce fruitcakes abundant in fruit and nuts
In America, mail-order fruitcake began in 1913.
Charities often sell commercial fruitcakes from catalogs as a fundraising event.
In 1935, the expression “nutty as a fruitcake” was coined. The phrase came about as a result of excess nuts some Southern bakeries added to their fruitcakes due to their access to cheap nuts.
Most mass-produced fruitcakes in America are alcohol-free. Some traditional recipes include liqueurs or brandy. Bakers then complete the fruitcake by covering it with powdered sugar.
Some fruitcake makers soaked their fruitcakes in brandy-soaked linens believing the cakes improved with age.
HOW TO OBSERVE NATIONAL FRUITCAKE DAY
Share a fruitcake story or recipe. Or maybe share both. Invite someone to enjoy some fruitcake with you. No matter how you celebrate, use #NationalFruitcakeDay to post on social media.
You can also explore the other5 Time-Honored Christmas Foodsto get a jump on next year.
NATIONAL FRUITCAKE DAY HISTORY
National Day Calendar will continue to experiment with recipes until we get it right. In the meantime, we've not found the origins of this immortal cornerstone of holiday baking, either.
Fruitcake FAQ
Q. I've never eaten fruitcake because I've always heard it is awful. Is that true?
A. No, it doesn't have to be true. There's a difference between quality fruitcakes and those you might find at the convenience store Christmas shelf. Bakers using quality ingredients create rich, nutty, and flavorful fruitcakes.
Q. Why did the fruitcake fall out of favor?
A. Historians point toward a variety of reasons for the fruitcakes downfall including mass production, poor ingredients, and iconic jokes. However, another reason may be that a good fruitcake takes time and effort, sometimes up to a week to complete every step.
December 27th Celebrated (and Not So Celebrated) History
1932
The Radio City Music Hall opens under the direction of S.L. “Roxy” Rothafel. The show featured the Roxyettes (later renamed the Rockets), opera performed by Titta Ruffo, Coe Glade, and Vera Schwarz, Leon Rosebrook directing a chorus of 100 voices, and the Radio City Music Hall Symphony Orchestra. At the time, the theater was the largest in the world.
1947
Howdy Doody appears on television for the first time on NBC's Puppet Play House.
1952
Jimmy Boyd's "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" reaches number 1 on the music charts.
1964
Performing their hit "Come See About Me," the Supremes make their first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show.
December 27th Celebrated (and Not So Celebrated) Birthdays
Louis Pasteur - 1822
Some of the many achievements of the French chemist and microbiologist include developing vaccines for anthrax and rabies. He also created the process for sterilizing products such as milk to kill microorganisms called pasteurization.
John Celardo - 1918
The American comic strip and comic book artist rose to popularity in the 1950s and 1960s with his work on the Tarzan comic strip for United Features.
Genevieve Audrey Wagner - 1927
A power-hitter in the All American Girls Professional Baseball League, Wagner began her career at the age of 15. One of the league's All-Stars, she played seven seasons, usually in the outfield before continuing her athletic career with the National Girls Baseball League in Chicago. While she played, Wagner pursued her medical degree. Following baseball, she practiced obstetrics for four decades.
Jason Hawes - 1971
In 1990, Hawes founded The Atlantic Paranormal Society to investigate reported paranormal activity. He also starred in and co-produced the SyFy show Ghost Hunters.
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Notable Birthdays for December 27
James Henry Carleton (1814-1873) - Brevet Major General for the Union Army.
James Clay Rice (1829-1864) - Brigadier General for the Union Army.
Arch Ward (1896-1955) - Sportswriter who proposed that baseball have an all-star game.
William Masters (1915-2001) - Gynecologist and academic.
Buddy Boudreaux (1917-2015) - Saxophonist and clarinet player.
John Celardo (1918-2012) - Illustrator of Tarzan.
Jean Bartik (1924-2011) - Computer programmer.
Audrey Wagner (1927-1984) - All-American Girls Professional Baseball player.
Scotty Moore (1931-2016) - Guitarist for Elvis Presley.
John Amos (1939-2024) - Actor known for his roles in Good Times, Roots and Coming to America,
Savannah Guthrie (1971-Still Living) - Journalist.
Memorable Events for December 27
1845 - Ether is used for the first time during childbirth in GA.
1939 - The first skimobiles are introduced in NH.
2012 - NASA unveils a plan to capture a 500 ton asteroid in 2025.
Ping!....................
I’m enjoying a slice of German apple walnut cake. Technically I suppose that qualifies as fruit cake.
How to eat fruitcake.
1. Throw it in the trash.
I’ll be gifting my brother a fruitcake for Christmas.
The gift is no surprise. We’ve been exchanging the same cheap fruitcake for the past 35 years. We use a little imagination in how we wrap it.
For this year I wrapped it in fifty feet of barbed wire. I welded every place where the wires crossed.
Does this mean I get to go to the Castro District of San Francisco to laugh and point?
Mom made this ONCE....and then switched to Date Nut Bread...which I still make today...I’m 80.
I thought they had a whole MONTH . . . in June!
When making and baking my own fruit cake, the moment of truth comes at the end: ‘If it’s soft and moist, I’ll call it “Cake”. If the result is firm and somewhat dry, then I’ll call it “Bread”. If the whole darn mess craters or falls apart ,then I call it “Cobble”, or quickly destroy the evidence down the nearest disposal.
Soft fruitcake is for eating.
Dry fruitcake is for rum...................😉
How come Democrats get their very own special day?
What is that red and green stuff in there? Mom used to soak it in rum, which made it tolerable.
I once drove by the Claxton Fruitcake Factory in Claxton Georgia. It was midsummer. I wonder what the make then?............
Bingo! Post of the day!!!!!
That’s a good guide.
Rules of the road for Fruitcakes.
They drier the fruitcake the more rum it can hold!.............
Do we really need a day for Democrats?
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