Just in time for the holiday season, I asked you what you thought about fruitcake. To put it nicely, my readers aren’t huge fans. Half said they don’t like it and a fourth said they could take it or leave it. That left just over a fourth who like it, depending on whether it was homemade or store bought.

As always, reader comments are the best part of doing these surveys. I received dozens and dozens of messages and here are some of the best:

The case for homemade

Best fruitcake was made by my grandmother in South Carolina. It was a true fruitcake, mostly fruit and a little cake. Claxton is close but still not as good. Miss her and the yearly treat.

I love fruitcake! My Mom used to bake it every Christmas and wrapped it in cheesecloth soaked in brandy, but now it is up to me…. The best part is that it keeps for a long time in the refrigerator and no one else will eat it so it is mine, all mine!

Heading to the store

A great homemade fruitcake is fab, but I’m still sentimental about the store bought stuff.

I have eaten and loved homemade fruitcake. Especially when it was well saturated with whiskey or rum. But really, what’s the holiday without one of those fruitcake bricks from the grocery store?

I’ve had good fruitcake and bad fruitcake. It depends on who makes it, and homemade isn’t necessarily the best. The best I’ve had comes from Collins Street Bakery in Texas.

The haters

Can’t stand to even think about it. Ha.

I have never had good fruit cake, homemade, store bought whatever—Nasty Stuff!! And it lasts forever—some kind of MRE ration.

I may have tasted a homemade fruitcake once in my life that didn’t elicit a gag reflex.

Those who haven’t dared

As a kid it always looked gross, so I’ve never actually tried it and still don’t want to!

I have never eaten fruitcake. Not saying that I never will, but homemade or purchased from a store—it doesn’t look appetizing to me. So…the jury is still out.

Thinking ahead

I truly believe that fruit cake will be as edible many years post-apocalypse as it is today.

It seems like fruit cake can last for eons

The alternative

Our dogs just loved it when, after a bite or two, I would feed it to them!

Tell us what you really think

Fruitcake is filled with stick-to-my-molars candied fruit whose colors I’ve never seen in real life and whose taste resembles fruit like Oleo resembles butter or Spam resembles ham; although, Spam has some redeeming qualities.

As always, thank you for taking the time to respond. And go take the current survey here.