In one of the most hostile regions known to humankind, conservationists in August this year, unearthed an ice-covered fruitcake they believe once belonged to the British explorer Robert Falcon Scott.
A program manager said it was in “excellent condition”, and the New Zealand-based it smelled “almost” edible.
The fruitcake made by the British company Huntley & Palmers was wrapped in paper and encased in a tin-plated iron alloy. The cake dates to the Cape Adare-based Northern Party of Scott’s Terra Nova expedition (1910-13). It was found in Antarctica’s oldest building, which was constructed by a Norwegian explorer’s team in 1899 and used by Scott’s team in 1911, the Antarctic Heritage Trust said.
There is documentation showing that Scott took this brand ( Huntley & Palmers) of cake with him on his explorations, said the trust, a nonprofit organization that is in the business of “inspiring explorers.”
Lizzie Meek, a program manager for artefacts at the trust, said in a statement that the cake was surprisingly well preserved. “There was a very, very slight rancid butter smell to it, but other than that, the cake looked and smelled edible,” she said. “There is no doubt the extreme cold in Antarctica has assisted its preservation.” she also added that “Finding such a perfectly preserved fruitcake among them was quite a surprise.”
The cake was among about 1,500 artefacts collected from two huts by a team of conservationists that had been working at the site since May 2016.
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