For thousands of years, nuts and dried fruits have been a staple of the human diet. Not only do they taste great, but they also provide a lot of energy and vital nutrition. In ancient times, Roman soldiers ate bread-like food that was made of barley mash and packed full of dried fruits and pine nuts. It was an excellent food to eat on long marches since it provided energy and nutrition and lasted for a long time. By the 1400s, fruit and nut cakes were becoming very popular and the dessert we know today as fruitcakes had begun.
Fruit And Nut Cakes Through The Centuries
Drying fruit was the best way to preserve them in the Middle Ages. Baking them into fancy, rich cakes was a great way of using up extra fruit and celebrating special occasions such as holidays and the monarch’s birthday. Fruitcake became even more popular, sweet and rich in the 1500s when people discovered how to use sugar to candy fruits. Although fruitcake was banned during the 1700s because it was thought to be sinfully rich, this dessert was too popular to die out. In England, it was a staple at tea time and also became a traditional wedding cake in the 1800s. The Victorian Age was when fruitcake was especially loved and also when it began to be mass-produced in factories.
Fruit And Nut Cake Today
By the end of the 20th century, fruitcake was more hated than loved. Thanks to mass-production, fruitcakes that are sold in stores are not anything like how they used to be. Fortunately, many bakeries are changing the way the public perceives this traditional delicacy. They sell handmade traditional or gourmet fruitcakes that can be ordered online. Try it for yourself and discover why this particular food has stood the test of time.
