Researchers from the Antarctic Heritage Trust turned up this 100-year-old fruitcake in a Cape Adare hut. From their report:
Made by Huntley & Palmers, the fruit cake is still wrapped in paper and encased in the remains of a tin-plated iron alloy tin.
The cake probably dates to the Cape Adare-based Northern Party of Scott’s Terra Nova expedition (1910 – 1913) as it has been documented that Scott took this particular brand of cake with him at that time.
Although the tin was in poor condition, the cake itself looked and smelt (almost) edible…
“It’s an ideal high-energy food for Antarctic conditions, and is still a favourite item on modern trips to the Ice,” said the Trust’s Lizzie Meek.
