Defying the Punchlines, Texas Fruitcakes Attract Loyal Fans and New Customers
November 29, 2018 | By Cynthia J. Drake
Texans didn’t invent the fruitcake, but in our state’s tradition of braggadocio, we made it better (and bigger, in some cases).
A holiday delicacy with a sometimes stodgy reputation—thanks in part to Johnny Carson’s long-running gags in the 1970s and ’80s—fruitcakes were imported to Texas in the 1800s by German immigrants who packed their original family recipes and brought them to their new home. Though the recipes stayed basically the same, the fruitcake benefited from one crucial Lone Star ingredient: fresh pecans.
