George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and Fruitcake

As we all know American folk legends may or for the most part may not be true, around the holiday times, another popular tale always seems to come back to life. Ben Franklin, while he can be viewed as a diplomat and inventor, also has a very creative imagination for food. During the Revolutionary War, George Washington approached Franklin about ideas for erecting a barricade in order to keep the British from invading town. Franklin thought about the situation and suggested he use a fruitcake, as he had heard experiences from friends and family members just how hard they are and how much damage they can do. Washington, unfortunately, never went ahead with the idea, as it would have been humorous to see the end result.

Thinking about why Washington never went ahead with this idea, I have formed my own opinions. One, Washington, who did at one time have a distillery, actually liked fruitcake and may have used his "spirits" to create his own fruitcake. Two, Washington could have realized that before the British reached the town that birds, horses, and other animals would have eaten away that the barricade. Of course, the only good thing about having a fruitcake barricade, if it was ever placed, would be that the British may have stopped themselves and being tired and hungry, gotten themselves a bite to eat. This would have allowed for time for messengers to warn townspeople. Hummm... maybe this was really the motive Franklin was considering when he suggested Washington use the fruitcake.