Fruitcakes. Where would we be without this strange and mystifying food? What would Christmas or even Christmas stories be like without their existence? And moreover, does anyone know why they exist?

These holiday-themed cakes are more like amalgamations of all your favorite Christmas flavors than they are any one type of cake. They’ve been regarded as a signature Christmas treat for a long time, and I mean a really long time. In fact, people have been circulating these treats during the Christian holiday for centuries.

Their origins are actually thought to trace back to the Middle Ages, a time when fruit was just starting to become available for people to dry and use in prepared foods. Despite this supposed origin, though, there are lots of cultures around the world that are known for similar cake-like concoctions of fruit and nuts. There are many variations to this unique dessert.

One of the more commonly known variations is called panforte, a chewy Italian confectionery whose main ingredients include the likes of nuts, dried fruits, spices, and honey.

Another variation of the Western fruitcake we’ve become familiar with is a German dessert called stollen. Stollen is one variation that has less in common with the fruitcake because of the fact that it’s more of a loaf or bread-like treat than it is a cake. It’s known for its buttery and sugary flavors.

There’s even a variety of a fruitcake that comes from the Caribbean, which makes sense, due to certain areas being products of colonization. The Caribbean has a signature Black Cake that has a pudding-like consistency and is made with lots of alcohol.

With all these variations available around the world, you still may be left wondering what exactly a Christmas fruitcake is made of. This area of understanding has become a bit muddled over the years, due to the fact that fruitcakes gained a huge popularity in the early 20^th century, when they were able to be mass-made and sent via mail to friends and family members at Christmas.

Because of its situation in American culture over the years, you may have even seen the fruitcake made fun of in popular culture or media. Lots of Christmas movies involve some kind of age-old joke about sending a fruitcake to someone in the family you’re not very fond of. Of course, these fruitcakes were never quite as authentic or fresh as homemade versions. If the people in those movies had real, homemade fruitcakes to send, they certainly wouldn’t be sending them to people they weren’t fond of.

The homemade versions require an intense level of cooking detail to give them their beloved and signature taste and texture. In fact, they require several weeks-worth of preparation. You make them step by step, adding different ingredients along the way. In that way, it’s a bit similar to Amish friendship bread, although you don’t need to keep mixing the batter and certainly don’t have to pass it along to everyone you know before it can be baked.

It’s very dense, rich, and filled with tons of flavors and components. They contain anything from nuts, to raisins, dried fruits like cherries, pineapple, spices, apple sauce, and lots of bourbon. That sounds like a proper Christmas treat to me. Rather than making fun of fruitcakes next Christmas, you might consider finding an authentic recipe and making one for a friend!

Although it may seem daunting, eating vegan does not have to be hard. Sure, you have to cut animal-based food products out of the picture, which seems to eliminate a lot of foods we might normally eat. It might also seem difficult to make up for the nutrients you normally get when you can no longer eat meat, dairy, or poultry. Going vegan might even seem expensive. Fortunately, though, there are vegan staples that are cheap and accessible. They’ll help you to make a smooth transition into this diet.

Rice is a great staple item for the vegan diet, in addition to being a great staple for any diet. It’s cheap, quick and easy to cook, healthy if you use whole grain, and rich in variety. Whole grain rice is rich in protein, which is great for making up for the lack of meat in your diet.

Tofu is also very versatile, and you can cook it to taste like practically any meat. It’s a soy-based product, so it’s rich in protein, making it the perfect substitute for unhealthy red meats, or any meat for that matter while you’re adhering to vegan guidelines.

I also consider bananas to be a universally understood staple food. Priced at usually under a dollar per pound, this superfruit is accessible, and you can usually get a whole bundle of them for just a couple of dollars. Bananas are rich in potassium, something that is great for digestion. It helps balance things out and reduces the chances of bloating. On top of this, bananas are a really versatile fruit that taste great with lots of other fruits, whether that be in a fruit salad or in a smoothie.

Just like bananas, potatoes are generally fairly cheap, and you can usually buy a bulk sack of them for a reasonable price. The possibilities never end when it comes to ways you can cook potatoes. Be careful of the starch and carbohydrate content, though, as it can build up depending on how healthy of ingredients you use to prepare them. Nuts, beans, and legumes are also essential to the vegan diet. Rich in protein and nutrients that make up for protein loss in the absence of meat, they are a great, healthy source of energy that comes in a large variety of types. They’re also great for heart health!

However you go about introducing the vegan diet into your lifestyle, you should be aware of the fact that adhering to its guidelines requires great understanding of what you can and cannot eat. While this fact may be daunting, you should also keep in mind the fact that, with a little practice, there are ways to successfully and easily navigate the world of shopping for vegan-friendly items at the grocery store. Stick to these staple items, and even branch off to a few more when you’re comfortable, and I’m sure the task of making this diet choice work for you will become worlds easier.