The Origin of Fruitcake

The Origin of Fruitcake

Romans and Spaniards baked nut and spice cakes and carried them northward across Europe. The Greeks called fruitcake the "food of the gods" as early as 300 BC. It is believed that fruitcakes originated in ancient Egypt. The Egyptians made dark cakes with sun dried fruit, nuts, dates, figs, and pomegranates. The cake mixture was made from hand ground flour, honey and spices. These cakes were buried with individuals for their use in the afterlife. Fruitcakes were discovered in the Orient and on the Mediterranean by sailors from Great Britain. They brought back preserved and dried fruits, spices and nuts which they added to their traditional bread cakes. These were the first English fruitcakes.

Marie Rudisill, from Fruitcake: Memories of Truman Capote & Sook