When you hear Christmas, you quickly relate it to Christmas trees, Santa Claus, and ornaments. What's unusual is that one of the most common traditions for Christmas is related to fruitcake. You can find these cakes circulating around the family year after year as the majority of people find these very unappealing. Therefore, these have become one of the iconic ways people joke about Christmas, especially comedians. So, the question is, where did these come in the first place and why do they still exist?
Fruitcake is a traditional dessert made with candied fruit, dried fruit, nuts and/or spices, and brandy dates. These fruitcakes go all the way back to ancient Rome where they first represented a sign of wealth. Over time, they began to become associated with Christmas traditions. Early on, laws were passed to restrict the use of cakes in general for the holidays. This caused the concept to really slow down as fewer people could understand the tradition these fruitcakes were used for during Christmas.
As the cakes became more popular and people began to see how long they could last, it was an easy Christmas tradition to joke about. The biggest target for jokes is how the cakes are passed around families year after year. If cooked right, these fruitcakes can be inedible, lasting for years. Comedians and people themselves enjoy a nice laugh about these heavy sugared cakes during Christmas time.
Despite the unique reputation the fruitcake has in regards to Christmas, there's no doubt some people will find one in their house during the holidays. We hope you keep that fruitcake tradition going for years to come!