Conservators with the New Zealand-based Antarctic Heritage Trust (AHT) recently found perfectly preserved fruitcake believed to be more than a century old.
The cake was found among other artifacts in a building at Cape Adare, the first buildings erected on the continent.
“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,” AHT noted.
READ MORE: Mystery solved in the case of 2 French friends who died over supper
The cake, made by British company Huntley & Palmers, was found still wrapped in paper and enclosed in a tin container. Though the container was found in poor condition, the cake itself “looked” and smelled “(almost) edible,” AHT said.
WATCH: Police release photos of Swiss couple found frozen 75 years ago
“With just two weeks to go on the conservation of the Cape Adare artifacts, finding such a perfectly preserved fruitcake in amongst the last handful of unidentified and severely corroded tins was quite a surprise.
AHT program manager Lizzie Meek said the find was “quite a surprise.”
READ MORE: Husband charged with killing wife on Alaska cruise ship during ‘murder mystery’ dinner
“It’s an ideal high-energy food for Antarctic conditions, and is still a favourite item on modern trips to the Ice.”
Since 2016, a small team has been working to artifact conservation at Cape Adare and recently completed a project conserving more than 1,500 items.
According to the Trust, the huts were built by Norwegian Carsten Borchgrevink’s expedition in 1899 and later used by Captain Scott’s party in 1911.
Comments