{"id":4,"date":"2024-11-21T09:17:51","date_gmt":"2024-11-21T16:17:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/mathomhouseproject\/?page_id=4"},"modified":"2024-11-30T19:06:58","modified_gmt":"2024-12-01T02:06:58","slug":"fruitcake","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/mathomhouseproject\/fruitcake\/","title":{"rendered":"Fruitcake"},"content":{"rendered":"

Object<\/em>: Fruitcake
\nMedium<\/em>: Whole wheat, candied cherries, raisins, molasses, distilled liquor, orange peel
\nCreator<\/em>: Lobelia Sackville-Baggins
\nDate<\/em> of manufacture<\/em>: 1400 S.R. (69 years old)
\nPlace of creation:<\/em> Hobbiton, Shire
\nArtifact Number<\/em>: M-h 417
\nCollection:<\/em> Permanent
\nSource:<\/em> Donated by Goldilocks (Gamgee) Took<\/p>\n

You can have your cake, and gift it too! <\/strong>
\nShire celebrity Lobelia Sackville-Baggins (1318\u20141420 S.R.) created this well-preserved fruitcake using liquor infused fruits, herbs, and spices. Its presence can lift the spirits of anyone sharing the room with it\u2014though first, you will need both hands to lift it from the pantry to the table.<\/p>\n

Alongside her fruitcake, fond memories of Lobelia\u2019s altruism heroism and altruism during and after the Battle of Bywater (1419 S.R) will remain preserved in the Shire for countless years to come. But what does the fruitcake taste like now, nearly 70 years later? Would you dare to try?<\/p>\n

The last Hobbit who braved the attempt, Flambard Took in 1401 S.R., lost his knife in the process. You can still spy the hopelessly wedged, broken blade peeking out from the right side of the fruitcake.<\/p>\n

Analysis<\/strong>
\nLobelia\u2019s fruitcake embodies two central pillars of Hobbit culture\u2014gift-giving and eating. Anyone who has spent even an afternoon in the Shire knows that the good-natured, bright-eyed faces of Hobbits possess mouths fit for laughter, drinking, and, most importantly, eating. Fruitcake, being edible (in theory), is esteemed by Hobbits as a noble gift, joyfully given and eagerly received. However, this particular fruitcake has outlived its edible purpose to become a mathom\u2014a curious, nearly indestructible heirloom that is impossible to consume, and equally impossible to discard. Its enduring significance lies in its connection to Lobelia Sackville-Baggins, a heroine of the Shire during Saruman\u2019s tyranny.<\/p>\n

Lobelia prepared the fruitcake in 1400 S.R. as a gift to Bilbo to celebrate her birthday. It was just months before Bilbo\u2019s own birthday, his 110th, and Lobelia choice of gift was strategic\u2014as food is the quickest way to a Hobbit\u2019s heart. Lobelia\u2019s generosity had a not-so-secret motive; she hoped to soften Bilbo\u2019s heart toward her family, persuading him to name them as heirs to his hobbit hole, Bag End. As Otho Sackville-Baggins, her husband, was Bilbo\u2019s closest living kin, Lobelia believed this outcome was only natural, but it didn\u2019t hurt to encourage things along.<\/p>\n

In Hobbit tradition, receiving a gift obligates one to display it prominently, and thus the recipient of a fruitcake is obligated to display it alongside other favorite dainties during teas and after dinners until, eventually, it is fully consumed. This rule was especially crucial when dealing with Lobelia, whose sharp tongue discouraged any failure to honor her offerings. However, even though Hobbits take most any food when they can get it, their discerning tastes still govern their appetites. While Bilbo\u2019s skills in the kitchen had enjoyed a high reputation in the Shire for many years, Lobelia\u2019s track-record in the culinary arts was considered checkered at best. This meant that Bilbo\u2019s guests had reason to feign lack of appetite when offered a slice of her fruitcake. As tempting as the fruitcake appeared, it was more tempting for a Hobbit not to spoil their appetite for days with a single bite, preferring instead to save room for the usual six means a day.<\/p>\n

The fruitcake began its journey as a mathom when Bilbo, on his 110th birthday, cleverly escaped Lobelia\u2019s ingratiation scheme by re-gifting the untouched fruitcake to an adventurous cousin on his mother’s side, Flambard Took. Flambard, ever curious, attempted to sample the fruitcake using his sharpest knife. Unfortunately, the knife became hopelessly lodged in the cake; its broken blade is still visible near the right side. Flambard kept the fruitcake for two whole years out of spite before regifting it on his birthday to one of his unsuspecting neighbors recently arrived from Buckland. Thus began the fruitcake\u2019s long tour of Hobbit gift-giving circles, enduring as an unwanted, yet undismissable object.<\/p>\n

After Lobelia\u2019s death in 1420 S.R., one year after the Battle of Bywater, her fruitcake took on new significance. During the ruffians\u2019 occupation the Shire, Lobelia, despite her age, defied their tyranny, and was imprisoned for her resistance. Her bravery earned her lasting admiration among her fellow Hobbits. Upon her passing away, she willed a generous contribution to support those left homeless in the aftermath of the battle, cementing her status as a local hero. By then, her fruitcake had made its way around the Shire gift-giving circuit twice, and was in the possession of Goldilocks Took, wife of Faramir, son of Thain Peregrin.<\/p>\n

Goldilocks, recognizing the fruitcake\u2019s transformation from mere confection to historical artifact, donated it to the Mathom-house. Here it remains, a tangible reminder of Lobelia\u2019s courage and generosity. To this day, Hobbits visiting the museum can honor Lobelia\u2019s memory\u2014and perhaps ponder the indomitable durability of her culinary creation.<\/p>\n

Image Copyright Information:
\n<\/strong>Photograph<\/em>: ‘Lobelia’s Fruitcake.’ Medium<\/em>: Well-preserved fruitcake with a density equal to that of hardwood (a 1:1 ratio). Manufacturer<\/em>: Western Family. \u00a0Description<\/em>: Western Family Signature Dark Fruit Cake, 450 Grams. Creation Date<\/em>: November 4th, 2024. Expiry Date<\/em>: Unknown. Original Owner<\/em>: Casidy Noble. Photographer<\/em>: Casidy Noble. Source of Object<\/em>: Urban Fare.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Object: Fruitcake Medium: Whole wheat, candied cherries, raisins, molasses, distilled liquor, orange peel Creator: Lobelia Sackville-Baggins Date of manufacture: 1400 S.R. (69 years old) Place of creation: Hobbiton, Shire Artifact Number: M-h 417 Collection: Permanent Source: Donated by Goldilocks (Gamgee) Took You can have your cake, and gift it too! Shire celebrity Lobelia Sackville-Baggins (1318\u20141420 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":103246,"featured_media":10,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"templates\/template-full-width.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-4","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/mathomhouseproject\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/mathomhouseproject\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/mathomhouseproject\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/mathomhouseproject\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/103246"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/mathomhouseproject\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4"}],"version-history":[{"count":24,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/mathomhouseproject\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/mathomhouseproject\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4\/revisions\/33"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/mathomhouseproject\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/mathomhouseproject\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}