Fruitcake: Where does it come from?

by Brenda Yun on

While those chestnuts roast on your open fire, it might be time to open Grandma’s fruitcake that you forgot to eat last year. Maybe it’s on your closet shelf, just waiting to be devoured. You don’t have to worry about it going bad, either. It’s probably even tastier now that you’ve waited year. As you unwrap it and prepare it for your plate, it might be a good idea to understand just where the famous Christmas fruitcake comes from, and just how it landed in your hands this Christmas Day…

This famous Christmas cake is probably made from a combination of chopped and candied fruit, nuts, and spices, and likely soaked in brandy or rum. Fruitcake actually originated in very much the same form we see today way back to ancient Rome (so you could be holding a real historical artifact)!
Hundreds of years ago, Europeans would make these cakes using pomegranate seeds, pine nuts, and raisins, and some fruitcakes were traditionally made and saved for the annual harvest the following year.

Germans called their special fruitcake “Dresdner Stollen,” which looks like a bread loaf. It is served with icing at Christmastime. Italians call theirs “panforte.” Theirs was made famous in Siena over 500 years ago, and is baked in a shallow pan. In the UK, they like their fruitcake moist and serve it with marzipan and a thick layer of icing. Finally, we Americans like our fruitcake with lots of colorful fruits and nuts.

Now it’s time to unwrap that final Christmas present and satisfy that sweet tooth. Enjoy your Christmas and that candied fruitcake from your closet!

[information on fruitcake compiled from Wikipedia]

Cultural Delicacies: Dogs (and cats!)

by Brenda Yun on

It is not uncommon for people to eat dog meat in parts of China, Korea, and the Philippines. Historically, in times of famine people in France and Germany ate dogs too. As a pet lover, I can’t bear the thought, but I know this practice is more far-reaching than meets the eye. Earlier this year, Honolulu experienced its own case of dog-eating men who stole, killed, and ate a couple’s beloved poi dog.

When traveling in third world countries and observing the poor treatment of street dogs, it is easier to understand the apathy that most possess for canines. I think it’s acceptable, too, that in desperate times people take desperate measures to stay alive. It’s unfathomable, however, that people would knowingly steal a pet for consumption. It doesn’t matter where you are or what your culinary practices are.
Complicating canine consumption with feline consumption and you now have a serious case on your hands. This is exactly the latest news coming from China: cat owners are now scared to leave their cats alone now because they disappear. People steal domestic cats now, killing them, and selling them for $1.32 per pound (the same price for lamb). Pet owners in China are speaking up. It appears even the Chinese are developing a conscience nowadays.

The eating of dog meat — or cat meat, for that matter — is a cultural practice that Westerners may never come to accept or understand. Maybe one day we can all be green-eating, tree-hugging consumers in a free world.

Photo of the Day (11.04.08)

by Grant Martin on

With everyone getting all riled up about the elections and all today, I thought that I would pick a more gentile subject for the photo of the day: delicious, delicious treats. This photo of a row of candied and chocolate covered apples was taken by uncorneredmarket among the myriad Christmas Markets in Germany, several of which I was supposed to make it to this year. We’ll see if I have the time.

There. Now don’t you feel better about the outcome of the election?

Have any cool photos you’d like to share with the world? Add them to the Gadling Pool on Flickr, and it might be chosen as our Photo of the Day.

German tour bus catches fire, 20 feared dead

by Justin Glow on

Up to 20 people are feared dead after a tourist bus caught fire near Hannover, Germany today. It was headed for Berlin. Reuters reports,

“The bus caught fire near the northern city of Hanover as it headed toward Berlin, forcing the driver to pull over. Some passengers were not able to get off in time but about 10 people escaped, a police spokesman said.”

Some reports are claiming “it was not a traffic accident but a technical fault that had started the fire,” according to The Australian.

Meanwhile, Twitter is abuzz with reaction amidst the U.S. election coverage.

We’ll bring you more news as we hear it.

Graceland? No, Deutschland

by Josh Lew on

Elvis is buried in Memphis, right? So what’s he doing in the German town of Bad Nauheim?

No, he was not sighted by some bleary-eyed office worker on the way home after too many beers. Bad Nauheim is the place where Elvis did his military duty in the late ’50s. The people of this otherwise nondescript town (well, at least the Elvis fans among them) are not so quick to forget their most famous boarder.

A tour around town passes an arch where the photo for one of The King’s album covers was taken. There is also the house where he lived, and, for die-hards, the room that he sometimes rented at a local hotel. There is even a story about a beer hall where Elvis allegedly started a brawl.

The people of Bad Nauheim have made Elvis a kind of folk hero, and they are painfully aware that his army days in Germany are viewed as insignificant by fans from other parts of the world. According to local Elvis lore, the Bad Nauheim years were among the happiest in Presley’s life. Bad Nauheim will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Presley’s arrival in their town later this year.