Let's Get Some Respect For Fruitcakes!

Fruitcake has taken a bad rap in recent years. It's time to give some support to this traditional holiday treat.

Apparently, the current trend toward fruitcake bashing is the fault of the late talk show host Johnny Carson. He is apparently the originator of the wisecrack that there's only one fruitcake in the world and it just gets passed off to someone else. Today there are contests in which fruitcakes are dropped, catapulted and even used as hockey pucks.

So why all the mockery? It could be because of the difference in American fruitcakes from those of other countries, where it is still very popular. American fruitcakes are very heavy compared to their European counterparts.

It could be simply that American tastes have changed. Americans are much more addicted to chocolate and other processed sweets and have gotten away from those containing fruit and nuts. Then too, a cake that has contains so much alcohol (as a preservative) that it can remain stored in a box or tin for months has somehow lost its appeal. What they don't know is that the longer a fruitcake is stored, the better it tastes as the fruit absorbs the taste of the liqueurs.

Another problem is that fruitcake is a recipe that takes a lot of care and people just don't have the time to put into a complicated recipe. Thankfully, mail order fruitcakes are just as good but people have gotten out of the habit of ordering
The real problem is that fewer people know how good fruitcake can be. There are many excellent recipes for fruitcake. While each of them uses some form of candied fruit, nuts and spices, each one is very different. Some types are even decorated and served at weddings, as well as on Christmas.

So where can you get a taste of a really good fruitcake? Try ordering several from a company that specializes in fruitcakes. The company may have a variety pack so you can learn to appreciate the differences. Look for fruitcakes that use no artificial fruit and only a little liquor. Order the fruitcake well before the holiday season and store it in a safe place until Christmas. This will give the cake a chance to age a little.

When it's time to serve the fruitcake, take it out of the package and set it on the table as a place of honor. Too many people simply serve fruitcake right out of the box as if it were an afterthought. If you serve a fruitcake as a special delicacy, it may come to be treated as such by others.

Fruitcakes still make an excellent gift choice. Most come in very attractive reusable tins. The foodies on your gift list will appreciate this blast from the past, provided that you urge them to give it a chance.

Many people are trying to return to traditional foods that are not loaded with processed, artificial ingredients. Maybe it's time for the fruitcake to resume its place of honor among holiday traditions. Do your part and order one, or several, today.

Krema the oldest peanut butter maker in America and Grandma's Fruit Cakes has been producing delicious fruitcakes since 1900. They have been satisfying the discriminating tastes of nut lovers for more than 100 years! In addition to their acclaimed peanut butters, they also offer delicious gourmet nut butters, nut products, and mouth-watering confections! Krema offering gourmet chocolates, chocolate-covered cherries and blueberries as well as nut baskets.