Antarctica fruitcake is over 100 years old

LONDON — Consider the fruitcake.

Long maligned for its questionable taste, the dessert may have cemented itself further in food lore after a discovery in Antarctica.

In one of the most hostile regions to humankind, conservationists for the New Zealandbased Antarctic Heritage Trust have unearthed an ice-covered fruitcake they believe once belonged to British explorer Robert Falcon Scott.

The age of the fruitcake: 106 years old.

It was in “excellent condition,” a spokesperson for the trust said.

And it smelled “almost” edible.

The cake, most likely dating to the Cape Adare-based Northern Party of Scott’s Terra Nova expedition (1910-13), was found in Antarctica’s oldest building, which was built by a Norwegian explorer’s team in 1899, according to the trust.

The dessert, found wrapped in paper and in its original “tinplated iron alloy tin” container, was made by the British biscuit company Huntley & Palmers.

There is documentation showing that Scott took this particular brand of cake with him on his explorations, said the trust, a nonprofit that is in the business of “inspiring explorers.”

Lizzie Meek, conservation manager for artifacts at the trust, said in a statement that the cake was well preserved.

“There was a very, very slight rancid butter smell to it, but other than that, the cake looked and smelled edible,” she said. “There is no doubt the extreme cold in Antarctica has assisted its preservation.”

Almost 1,500 artifacts were found by a team of four conservationists that had been working at the hut since May 2016. Meek said: “Finding such a perfectly preserved fruitcake among them was quite a surprise.” But why a fruitcake? “It’s an ideal high-energy food for Antarctic conditions,” she said, “and is still a favourite item on modern-day trips to the ice.”

Meek further explained to National Geographic: “Fruitcake was a popular item in English society at the time, and it remains popular today. Living and working in Antarctica tends to lead to a craving for high-fat, high-sugar food, and fruitcake fits the bill nicely, not to mention going very well with a cup of tea.”