Every Christmas, a fruitcake always worms its way onto our dinner table. Maybe it came from the neighbor, a colleague, or even a friend, but the holiday staple is never forgotten.
Usually, people are quite divided on how they feel about fruitcake: some love it, while others really despise it. I quite enjoy it, but I've never heard of a food that's as divisive as fruitcake. My parents feel the opposite, and every year, I find I end up eating it all by myself.
Fruitcake has a very rich history that dates all the way back to ancient Rome! What most of these recipes have in common is the high sugar content, which made it the perfect food to take on long journeys.
In fact, conservators from American Heritage Trust have found an untouched fruitcake in a hut in Antartica.
The fruitcake is believed to have been brought to Cape Adare by Robert Falcon Scott's exploration party in 1911, and then left there.
It was perfectly preserved by freezing temperatures and protected from the atmosphere by the tin encasing it.
The best part? The conservators believe that it's still edible!
Fruitcake is a food that many people are familiar with because of its popularity around Christmastime.
But fruitcake's high sugar content also makes it perfect for taking on long journeys in unforgiving conditions.
Conservators in Antartica stumbled across a tin box in a hut they were excavating, and were immediately curious about what was inside.
The object was wrapped in paper, in addition to being concealed in the tin.
They were surprised to find a perfectly preserved 106-year-old fruitcake wrapped in the paper! They say that it smells somewhat like rancid butter, but that it looks almost edible.
They will not, however, be testing out that theory.
The news about the discovery was posted on Twitter, and folks had very strong reactions to it.
Many poked fun at the relative longevity of fruitcake, making it easy to regift even after so many years.
Others displayed a very strong curiosity as to whether or not the fruitcake was edible, and how it tasted.
Please SHARE if you would be willing to try a piece of this ancient fruitcake!
