fruitcake

Parents, kids, aunts and a cousin gather on Black Friday to make a big batch to mail around the country. It's shared far and wide at Christmastime and was featured on a bike ride across Iowa.

The dense dessert, found in one of Antarctica's first buildings, is believed to have been brought over in 1910 during the Terra Nova expedition of Robert Falcon Scott. It "looked and smelled edible."

While monks aren't trying to dominate the fruitcake market, they have made enough money to help support their solitary way of life. And there might be a little competition between monasteries.

The Italian fruit bread is readily available these days. But if you want to take your palate off the well-worn path, here's a look at other holiday breads to feast on, from pan de jamon to julekake.