Ridiculous History – “The Deliciously Ridiculous History of Fruitcakes”
Hosts: Ben Bowlin & Noel Brown
Date: December 11, 2025
Podcast: iHeartPodcasts
Overview
This festive episode dives into the curious and often comical journey of the fruitcake, especially its holiday connections, cultural baggage, and surprisingly deep historical roots. Hosts Ben Bowlin and Noel Brown trace fruitcake’s evolution from ancient Roman staple to mass-produced holiday joke, exploring everything from ingredient origins to Catholic butter regulations, regional varieties, and why America can’t stop making fun of this much-maligned dessert. Expect signature banter, offbeat trivia, and nostalgia, all served up with holiday cheer.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Fruitcake’s Polarizing Reputation
- Christmas Vibes: Both hosts reminisce about their holiday spirit, noting the secular, cultural side of Christmas in the US and Europe.
- “People here like Christmas in a way that is not necessarily always religious. It's just a fun tie, I would say.” — Ben [03:04]
- Fruitcake in American Culture: Introduced as a running joke and frequently regifted, many Americans see fruitcake as more of a gag than a delicacy.
- “It's a gag gift a little bit. Fruitcake sounds sort of bizarre...you would say, well, it's a dense, candied fruit, nuts, whatever carbs we have lying around. And, you know, a lot of booze.” — Ben [04:36]
- “Kind of the thing you give to someone you re-gift because someone's given you this lump of, you know, weird hardtack…” — Noel [04:24]
2. Ancient and Medieval Roots
- Roman “Satura”: Fruitcake’s ancestor, the satura, was more like a dense energy bar for soldiers—barley, pine nuts, dried fruit, and honeyed wine. Its name means “full” or “sated” in Latin.
- “This thing is way less like a cake and way more like an energy bar.” — Ben [07:10]
- Preservation Prowess: With candied and dried fruit, fruitcake could last and feed people in tough times, a vital staple rather than just a treat.
- Etymology & Fun Facts: Playful banter over the word “satura” and how it connects to being “saturated” or “satiated.”
- “Satura...means full or sated. So I think you got it.” — Ben [08:04]
3. Technological “Advances” & Regional Variants
- Candied Fruit as Tech: Drying and candying were medieval forms of technology, prolonging shelf life and enabling fruitcake experimentation in Europe.
- “Drying and candying fruit could be argued was a form of technology…” — Noel [12:17]
- Global Styles: Shout-outs to Italian panforte, German stollen, British plum pudding, and Caribbean rum cakes—each with unique textures and booziness.
- “Versions...come from the Caribbean islands as well as Britain's famous plum pudding, which is...a moist fruitcake that's soaked in rum for a very long time.” — Noel [13:22]
- Butter Ban: Catholic regulations once banned butter in baked goods; Pope Innocent VIII’s “Butter Letter” (1490) allowed its use, a game-changer for bakers in Saxony.
- “It wasn't until 1490...Pope Innocent 8 finally allowed the good Catholics...to use butter.” — Ben [16:42]
4. Sugar Boom & Mass Production Woes
- Impact of Sugar: Sugar from the colonies led to widespread, affordable candied fruits, making fruitcake a special-occasion staple across Europe and America.
- “They figure out...a high concentration of sugar can preserve fruit. And this created a glut of candied fruit.” — Ben [18:46]
- From Delicacy to Disdain: With the industrial age, homemade fruitcakes—once luxurious and personal—gave way to factory-made versions: dry, tasteless, mass-produced, and ripe for ridicule.
- “At the height of their fame, fruitcakes were made at home...Everyone wants to keep up with the Joneses, but not everyone can afford to buy the individual ingredients and a lot of people don't have the time to make this.” — Ben [30:36]
- “They flooded the market and...there's no love behind it. It's just something that everybody has. They're all the same and they're all kind of gross.” — Noel [32:19]
5. Fruitcake as Insult and Pop Culture Punchline
- Media Mockery: Classic sitcoms and especially Johnny Carson’s “Tonight Show” cemented fruitcake as the ultimate regift-and-joke item.
- Notable clip:
- “Do you eat it?” — Carson
- “No, that's the dam. That's the damn the same. Nobody eats them.” — Guest [36:10]
- “Johnny Carson is the reason fruitcake stumbled from a flex to a joke...” — Ben [35:07]
- Notable clip:
- Slang Roots: Term “fruitcake” became derogatory, equated with being “nuts” or “crazy.”
- “According to...the Google AI overview...it's an insult...can be offensive...like calling someone ‘off their rocker.’” — Noel [24:07]
6. Mystery: Why Christmas?
- No Clear Origin: Fruitcake’s specific association with Christmas isn’t directly explained by its ingredients. Likely, it generalized from being a luxury or celebration item, evolving alongside gift-giving and holiday traditions.
- “No one's sure how fruitcake became so intimately tied with Christmas, but we know...they were a go-to item for pretty much any special event.” — Ben [23:34]
7. Enduring Legacy & Weird Traditions
- The Great Fruitcake Toss: Contemporary celebrations, like Manitou Springs, Colorado’s fruitcake-tossing competition, keep the tradition alive in new, irreverent ways.
- “People gather in town...and they just literally try to see who can toss it the farthest.” — Ben [39:05]
- Extreme Shelf Life: Reference to fruitcakes found intact (and edible?) after a century in the Antarctic, underlining their legendary durability.
- “A fruitcake...had lasted a century and was edible, more or less.” — Noel [20:10]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- On Fruitcake’s Fanbase:
- “People who like fruitcake, they really like it. The fan base is like K-pop level ferocious, for sure.” — Ben [05:55]
- On Ancient Origins:
- “Fruitcake as a concept is so old...It's almost like the invention of the wheel or the taming of fire. It's impossible to figure out a specific moment where an individual came up with the idea.” — Ben [06:43]
- Fruitcake Insult:
- “Fruitcake is often thrown around...as an insult...can be considered offensive…” — Noel [24:07]
- Johnny Carson’s Bit:
- “Did you ever get a fruitcake for Christmas? Always.” — Carson [36:06]
- “Do you eat it?” — Carson [36:09]
- “No, that's the dam. That's the damn the same. Nobody eats them.” — Guest [36:10]
- On Regifting:
- “If you are the kind of person to practice re-gifting, the fruitcake is perfect...voila, you send it back the next year. And over time, this becomes kind of a wholesome prank.” — Ben [20:45]
- On Homemade vs Mass-Produced:
- “Homemade things might've taken a bit of a hit, but then over time you start to realize there's this backlash where...no, actually homemade things are better.” — Noel [31:09]
Timestamps for Key Segments
| Topic | Timestamp | |---------------------------------------------|-----------------| | Christmas in the US & Denmark | 01:57 – 04:00 | | Fruitcake’s Joke Status in America | 04:00 – 06:00 | | Roman Satura & Ancient Origins | 06:19 – 08:58 | | Dried Fruit Technology & European Variants | 11:35 – 13:22 | | Butter Ban and Pope’s “Butter Letter” | 16:10 – 18:14 | | Sugar Revolution & Mass Production | 18:46 – 21:39 | | Mystery: The Christmas Connection | 23:06 – 24:07 | | Fruitcake as Pop Culture Punchline | 35:07 – 37:42 | | Fruitcake Toss & Modern Weird Traditions | 38:25 – 40:47 |
Flow, Tone, and Takeaway
Ben and Noel’s playful, pun-filled back-and-forth makes this history lesson highly accessible and warm, reflecting on personal quirks and the weirdness of culinary tradition. They neither “nag” nor shame anyone’s food preferences, instead embracing fruitcake’s idiosyncrasies and underdog status.
The episode highlights how a once-luxurious staple became a running joke, but also how traditions endure, morphing into new forms (like fruitcake tossing). It closes with genuine holiday wishes and appreciation for homemade, heartfelt gifts—fruitcake or otherwise.
Final Word
Love it, hate it, or just pass it on to the next person, the fruitcake has traveled centuries and continents to earn its ridiculous place in history and holiday lore. For the hosts, its story is about preservation, adaptation, and the joy (and humor) baked into shared traditions.