Luxor4u

It just looks like a lead weight! Fruitcakes like that are a popular subject of jokes in the US! We tell more jokes about them than we eat them.

Glyphdoctor wrote:It just looks like a lead weight! Fruitcakes like that are a popular subject of jokes in the US! We tell more jokes about them than we eat them.

[face=Comic Sans MS]Yes, it does look a bit like a lead weight, but it is not a fruitcake, it is a dumpling something else all together and these can vary from being very light and fluffy on the inside to being quite doughy or being heavy. It all depends on the recipe used, the cook, and quite simply 'what happens on the day'!

Americans may make jokes about such things but I wonder if they have ever tried good old fashioned cooking. We have a couple of sayings in the UK - 'The proof of the pudding is in the tasting' and 'Don't knock it until you've tried it'. [/face]

We wouldn't call that a dumpling. That's what we call a fruitcake, the most maligned dessert in the US!

Glyphdoctor wrote:It just looks like a lead weight! Fruitcakes like that are a popular subject of jokes in the US! We tell more jokes about them than we eat them.

True...and suet is something you feed to birds...


In all fairness, however, the fruitcakes we make fun of are those filled with that candied fruit. This looks more like a banana nut bread or date nut loaf.

That's true about the suet. We used to smear it on pinecones and hang it up as a bird feeder.

But look at the recipe: 2 lbs of dried fruit! If that isn't a fruit cake then nothing is!

Glyphdoctor wrote:
But look at the recipe: 2 lbs of dried fruit! If that isn't a fruit cake then nothing is!

[face=Comic Sans MS]It's not about the ingredients but about the cooking method. A Fruit cake is baked, a dumbling is simmered in or on a liquid.[/face]

Well you might joke about fruit cakes in the US and say these recipes are unhelathy but sorry does n't the US have the greatest obesity problem because of all the fast food and supersize culture?
I love home made fruit cake (well most cake actually) and although I have n't eaten a suet pudding for many years I have many fond memories of them, full of dried fruit, apple or just jam. I personally don't think they are any more unhealthy than lots of other desserts, at least they are full of natural ingredients rather than artificial flavours and preservatives. Sorry Ebi but this recipe and eaten cold does n't do it for me. I like my puddings hot with custard!
I just wish I had the recipe for one of the puddings my late Auntie used to make, with dried fruit, orange rind and walnuts. I can still taste it now.
GD don't knock it unless you 've tried it!

1-When I said it was not a dumpling I was talking about American English. I was not denying that it might be considered a dumpling by British standards. This isn't even a point to start an argument about, as it is not a matter where one is right and the other is wrong. It's just a difference.

2-The jokes about fruitcake in the US have nothing to do with whether it is healthy or not. The jokes are based on the fact that it can be preserved for a long, long time, hence my remark about the cake outlasting Jane's corpse after she dies!

3-I can't speak for the American population as a whole but I actually cook almost everything we eat from scratch and I also have a BMI of 20.5.

What GD says is true. A dumpling here is a mixture of flour and water that is dropped into boiling broth and served with boiled chicken. Not a steamed cake. Can't even think of anything of steamed cake here.

Fruitcake jokes aren't about healthy, true. It's about that horrible candied fruit. Fruitcakes here can be soaked in rum or bourbon also so last forever. Not all fruitcake have the candied fruit and are quite good. You either tend to love fruitcake with the candied fruit or hate it. People give it as a Christmas gift to those they don't know well. And it tends to get regifted....a lot. I do love a good date nut loaf at Christmas and have an excellent recipe from my mother for it. It may be close to a steamed cake. You wrap it in muslim and put it in a water bath I think. Never got to make it much as my girls don't eat nuts.

[quote="PRchick"]What GD says is true. A dumpling here is a mixture of flour and water that is dropped into boiling broth and served with boiled chicken. Not a steamed cake. Can't even think of anything of steamed cake here.

Fruitcake jokes aren't about healthy, true. It's about that horrible candied fruit. Fruitcakes here can be soaked in rum or bourbon also so last forever. Not all fruitcake have the candied fruit and are quite good. You either tend to love fruitcake with the candied fruit or hate it. People give it as a Christmas gift to those they don't know well. And it tends to get regifted....a lot. I do love a good date nut loaf at Christmas and have an excellent recipe from my mother for it. It may be close to a steamed cake. You wrap it in muslim and put it in a water bath I think. Never got to make it much as my girls don't eat nuts.[/quote
Gosh PRchick thats a bit of a drastic thing to do to a muslim think you meant muslin,yes

Yes I meant muslin...otherwise known as cheesecloth.

With all the alcohol that fruitcakes have it's unlikely they would be wrapped in a Muslim! See, fruitcakes are great for laughs, aren't they?

But some of them are as old as the pyramids... and just as hard.

PRchick wrote:But some of them are as old as the pyramids... and just as hard.

[face=Comic Sans MS]Sounds like it's time the American bakers should try some of the English recipie - they might get to enjoy eating fruitcake instead of playing pass the parcel. [/face]

Probably true Hepzi. I would love to taste this dumpling.

This is what American fruitcake looks like: http://www.claxtonfruitcake.com/index.php and this place has the most popular fruitcake. You either love it or absolutely hate it. My mother loved it. I'm fond of carrot cake myself.

That Clootie just isn't doing it for me! Just the look of it is giving me nightmares!

PRchick wrote:Probably true Hepzi. I would love to taste this dumpling.

This is what American fruitcake looks like: http://www.claxtonfruitcake.com/index.php and this place has the most popular fruitcake. You either love it or absolutely hate it. My mother loved it. I'm fond of carrot cake myself.

[face=Comic Sans MS]Well having looked at that picture I can understand why Americans consider fruitcake a joke and keep passing it around - still gift wrapped.


A Traditional British Fruit Cake is probably not as popular these days as they used to be but they are still most commonly used for Christmas Cake and Wedding/Celebration Cakes. They do tend to be quite rich but there are lighter versions available too. However, fruit cake does not normally contain suet whilst steamed or baked fruit puddings may do.[/face]

Looking at the receipe here, it appears that the suet replaces shortening. Is that right?

PRchick wrote:Looking at the receipe here, it appears that the suet replaces shortening. Is that right?

[face=Comic Sans MS]Shortening isn't an English ingredient, but I understand that is the 'fat' ingredient, so yes it probably is. However, like all fats, - butter, lard, margariine, oil, etc - they all have different melting points, flavours and textures so whilst they can be interchangable for some recipes or combined, they do give a different finished result in taste, colour and texture.[/face]

Jane Akshar wrote:Hey the pillow case is roughage, the fruit is part of the 5 a day, sounds perfect to me