The incipit of a piece from the Cincinnati Enquirer:
... an awfully long time to make a cake ... and as long as we're blaming the Romans for foods we don't quite like, an excerpt from Food and Drink:
... but I actually like Brussels sprouts.
Although no one knows for sure how the fruitcake became associated with the holidays, the custom dates to the Roman Empire. The Romans' recipe for fruitcake included pomegranate seeds, pine nuts and raisins that were mixed into barley mash. Honey, spices and preserved fruits were added during the Middle Ages.
... an awfully long time to make a cake ... and as long as we're blaming the Romans for foods we don't quite like, an excerpt from Food and Drink:
Meanwhile the unchanged hardy perennial Brussels sprouts – surely every child's favourite – date back to 1587 where they were first cultivated in Belgium.
Although the strain is thought to originate in Roman times it was not until their migration further north that they started to plague our festive spreads.
... but I actually like Brussels sprouts.