"Give FruitCake A Chance"

It was fifty years ago in 1969 that John Lennon  released the song, "Give Peace A Chance" and I'm pretty certain that his words were better than mine which you are about to read.  I have thought about writing a song, "Give FruitCake A Chance" to his music, but fortunately for you I have not done so yet.

However, I do want to talk about fruitcake, a subject that most normal people never talk about.  Let's face it, fruitcake does not have a very good reputation and is usually made fun of in movies and on television.  On The Tonight Show, Johnny Carson, used to joke that there was really only one fruitcake and it was passed on from family to family.

In this country fruitcakes are usually made and given as gifts around the Christmas holidays.  In some other countries fruitcakes are eaten throughout the year. In the Bahamas, fruitcakes are soaked in rum and they have a better reputation, which is not a surprise.  Fruitcakes are known to stay fresh for many years and Jay Leno on The Tonight Show once tasted a fruitcake that had been preserved for 125 years! (how appetizing does that sound?)

This holiday season, my daughter was given a fruitcake and it made it's way to Myrtle Beach.  I have probably tasted fruitcake before, but it's been a very long time.  I looked at the box and I figured it was bread and fruit, how bad could it be? 

The name of the fruitcake is Panettone and it says it's a "specialty cake."  I didn't expect to see the word fruitcake anywhere, but it did say "moist and fresh."  This particular recipe is 65 years old and one Panettone takes 52 hours to make.  It had to be pretty good if it takes all that time to make, right?

It was in an unusual square box and wrapped in a large plastic bag and it looked like a very large muffin.  I couldn't resist and I cut off a piece and took a bite.  It tasted like a combination of challah and cranberry bread.  It was good, very good.  It wasn't as good as challah or cranberry bread, but it was good.

I've been nibbling on this fruitcake now for a week and it's almost gone.  I just wanted to let you know that what you thought fruitcake was, may not be what it really is.  So, when the holiday season comes around in 10-11 months, all I am saying is-give fruitcake a chance.