On fruitcake again

Some foods, as I have written, provoke memories by their invocation and fruitcake appears to occupy a priority position for many people, spanning a wide spectrum of emotion. It is more like a lightning rod or hot button. From the remarks gathered, people seem to love or hate it with little ground in between. It ranks right up there with clear toys and ribbon candy as a sentimental seasonal staple in some homes. In others it is forbidden entrance for reasons that probably dare not be mentioned.

The list of foods that are considered anathema is short at our house since we pride ourselves on being inclusive yet discriminating. They derive their power from childhood encounters that terrorize in much the same fashion as “The Creature from the Black Lagoon” did. Everything about the physical appearance of these dishes can be repulsive to some but for me they are avoided because one had less than pleasant experiences directly related to them.

Meat eaters ought not to be squeamish of the raw material which they enjoy cooked in so many styles. Beef tongue holds a special place for me. Padding into the kitchen in my pajamas one sleepy morning, I had an unexpected and startling encounter with it. This monstrous protrusion over the edge of the cooking pot provoked a screaming fit not easily forgotten. No matter the delicacy of its taste, this will never grace our table.

Certainly these are irrational food prejudices but no less valid than any other preference. As a way to stretch short provisions in time of scarcity, chipped beef on toast has afforded generations with a palatable alternative to starvation. I have always found its appearance so repulsive that, even though I was mercilessly prodded at the family table, I uniformly declined to eat it in favor of the kindlier fate of an empty stomach and banishment to my room.

On the sunnier side of the equation I place fruitcake and its kindred panettone, as holiday preparations unrivalled in symbolism and reward, evocative of tradition and celebration of family. To chase away the winter blues there is nothing finer than a thinly sliced and delicately made slice of fruitcake or panettone accompanied by a cup of Assam tea. Lemon is optional. Most of today’s commercial confections are laden heavily with nuts and garish candied fruit. They are completely out of balance with anything akin to the enchanting food of memory. This comports with the rampant up-sizing that plagues many prepared foods. Does everything have to be exaggerated and jumbo? Even some fresh fruits in the market have achieved a sort of cartoon-like size, almost always at the expense of flavor. For my money, fruitcake sweetened with fruit preserves and prepared with moderate enrichments happily represents the best in family ties, thanks to Mama and a long line of talented bakers in her heritage.

Many kisses,

Celeste