Carol's light fruitcake ... - Only One Cake in the World

[doddiemoemoe]

snip because I think I may have an answer...
> 
> bboyminn:
> 
> Well, we seem to have some loves of Fruitcake here, and
> hopefully they will forgive what I am about to say. 

They will not necessarily forgive you...but fruitcake originated to 
create a fruity cake with ingredients available...(and believe you me, 
I understand your fruit cake dilemma  as much as I understand plum 
pudding LOL!

However, back in the day, they had to find a way to keep the fruit 
viable...hence the booze factor in said cake...(a thousand years ago, 
as they chopped fruit for bread and jams(nowadays, jellys, jams and 
muffins) they sought was to preserve fruits in their original texture 
for Christmas baking (when prior to queen Elizabeth's reign) couldn't 
happen...

So the cooks of said days sought to pickle said fruits.....however the 
flavor of the fruits was lost in the pickling--hence green cherries in 
fruitcake...however, they soon discovered that certain fruits kept 
their consistancy and certain did not..as a result they utilized the 
fruits that kept their shape the most when dried soaked in a flavored 
pickling solution..(of course this fruit is t he most dreaded 
ingredient in fruit cake yet one of the most beloved fruits...cherries!

Cherries are one of the few fruits that can be dried and rehydrated in 
that the fruit assumes most of its original shape.

Needless to say, back in the day, they rehydrated the cherries with a 
miixture containing water and some sort of distilled spirit(rum, 
brandy, scotch etc.), and spices...hence the different colors of 
cherries w/in the fruit cade...the variations of colors have been 
there for quite some time..even before the americas and cranberries.

This is why fruit cake became a tradition for hundreds of 
years...because no slice tasted the same until some numskull decided 
to mass market.

Also, before the time of tradition, meals were served on 
trenchers....desserts were served as well, but I'd garner that they 
were served on something akin to a "fruitcake crust" trencher...LOL
(makes alot of sense...that dessert was served on a thick slice of 
fruit cake).

And a final note fruitcakes are world wide...every country I've ever 
been in has a variation of the fruit cake...boiled, baked, 
fried...every country..middle east, Japan, China, Korea, Russia..just 
everone..and I don't mean a cake with fruit in....but a fruit cake 
like this discussion is about...all traditions involve in a winter 
celebration to remind us of good time to come...(fruits preserved in 
numerous manners to remind us of something better...a cake with fresh 
peaches in, a muffin with fresh picked blueberries and the like)..

My mom  and dad used to pickle and preserve their own fruits...

Doddie,
(who learned the most about fruitcakes researching the civil war and 
talking to her mum about her wwII experiences..and after experiencing 
green olives in a fruit cake, I'm thankful we have cherries...just 
like today it really is the thought..LOL)