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In the U.S., fruitcake is often only associated with Christmas. Most people wouldn't think of serving fruitcake at any other time of the year, the same way that they wouldn't serve Santa Claus cookies, egg nog, or any other Christmas treat. But fruitcake is not just a Christmas food. Fruitcake is served all over the world as a wedding cake, anniversary cake, and everyday cake. It's also served at religious festivals and family celebrations. Fruitcake can be served and enjoyed at any gathering.
Originally fruitcake was a food that was commonly eaten by hunters, soldiers, sailors and others who were away from home for long periods of time. They needed to have healthy food that was portable and wouldn't go bad since there was no refrigeration or preservatives. Fruitcakes that were full of dried or sugared fruits and soaked in alcohol could last for years without spoiling so they were the food of choice for people who lived out on their own for long periods of time.
Fruitcakes were also made by farming societies to mark the harvest. In some societies the nuts and fruits from the fall harvest were baked into a cake and soaked with wine or alcohol and left to sit throughout the year in order to bring a good harvest. After the harvest the cake from the previous year would be eaten and the harvest proceeds would be baked into a cake for the next year.
In the Middle Ages when fruitcake was introduced to European society fruitcake became a dessert served by the wealthy at weddings, religious festivals and other events where the host wanted to show off his wealth or celebrate a religious holiday.
The ingredients used to make fruitcake were far too expensive for most of the population to afford in the Middle Ages. Even noblemen would have trouble paying for lots of dried or candied fruit and spices directly from the Middle East so the fruit was baked into cakes to make it go further. The parents of a bride would often insist on serving fruitcake even if it meant taking money from another area of the household in an effort to show off for the wedding guests.
During the Victorian era in both Europe and the US fruitcakes were the most common dessert. Fruitcakes were served as a tea dessert, at weddings, socials, and other gatherings. No Victorian hostess would have invited guests to come over without serving them fruitcake.
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