The term “fruitcake” was first used in the middle ages when honey, spices and preserved fruits were added to a recipe dating from ancient Rome. Starting in the 16th century, an excess of candied fruit brought about by inexpensive sugar from the American Colonies, and the finding that high concentrations of sugar could preserve fruits, made fruitcakes more affordable and popular amongst the masses.

Mail order fruitcakes began in 1913. Today, if you Google “fruitcake” you will find thousands of online stores that are ready to take your order and ship the delicacy to some unassuming recipient.

So, why are Americans so anti-fruitcake? After all, it is just a combination of spices, fruit and nuts and sometimes is soaked with spirits. Who can argue with that?

But, some say the negative image of fruitcake was cemented by the late Johnny Carson who once joked that there really is only one fruitcake in the world, passed from family to family. And then it was later immortalized by “The Fruitcake Lady” who appeared on The Tonight Show time to time giving her “fruitcake” opinions.

Someone more recently quipped that if you have to choose between hemlock and fruitcake, hemlock is painless.

Yet, the holiday cake carries a 40 percent approval rating amongst Americans, according to a recent poll, and remains one of the most popular holiday gifts. In fact, no holiday season would be complete without the traditional staple.

So this holiday, when you get that inevitable fruitcake, take joy in the fact that you are the recipient of a gift steeped in rich tradition — or a trend that just won’t go away.