Mincemeat pie is a dish that isn't very common in the American kitchen, which can lead to some confusion for cooks, even those on the Allrecipes staff. While discussing this classic Christmas dish, a group of us realized that we were unsure if traditional mincemeat filling actually contains meat, and so my deep-dive into the pie's history began. After a brief interview with a British food historian, and driving two hours round-trip to a rural library to pick up a copy of The Christmas Encyclopedia by William D. Crump, I've finally learned the history behind this mysterious pastry.
According to The Christmas Encyclopedia, mincemeat pie — also commonly referred to as mince pie or Christmas pie — originated in medieval England. After knights returning from the Crusades came back with spices in-tow, they became common ingredients of the dish along with minced bits of meat (from a range of animals), suet, apples, sugar, raisins, and molasses. "They were about 30 to 50 percent meat in the late Tudor era," says food historian Annie Gray, Ph.D. "And the meat content dwindled slowly over the next 300 years — part of a wider process of distinguishing sweet from savory and delineating which foods sat in which course in meals."
During Henry VIII's reign, he began phasing out Catholic properties and seizing them in the Dissolution of the Monasteries that started in 1536. Richard Whiting, the abbot of Glastonbury Abbey, tried to curb the king's greed by secretly sending him a mincemeat pie containing hidden deeds to several of the abbey's costliest estates. A few of these deeds were stolen by Whiting's servant, Thomas Horner, who was immortalized for his deed in the nursery rhyme "Little Jack Horner." Despite Whiting's attempt to save it, Glastonbury Abbey was later seized by Henry, and — according to The Last Abbot of Glastonbury and Other Essays by Francis Aidan Gasquet — Whiting and two of his priests were hanged for treason.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, mincemeat pie went beyond just a holiday treat and also offered significant symbolism. Around Christmas, it was popular to bake an elaborate pie that had dough resembling baby Jesus and included spices and sweetmeats as representatives of the gifts from the visiting Magi. This practice was often associated with Roman Catholicism, which prompted the Puritans — in both England and American colonies — to outlaw mincemeat pie due to its idolatrous nature.
"By the end of the [19th century] it was fairly rare to find actual meat in [mincemeat], though of course, the suet was beef," says Gray. "Fully vegetarian mincemeat pies had to wait until veggie suet was invented," which would have come to fruition around the early 20th century due to the invention of Crisco, the world's first all-vegetable based solid fat.
Today, mincemeat pie has significantly less religious and political implications in our society than in the past. Nowadays, it's easy to find mincemeat pies still made with beef suet and a small amount of minced meats (usually beef). All-vegetarian mincemeat pies are readily available as well, especially if you purchase a premade jar of mincemeat filling. If you're interested in trying this richly historied pastry, try baking both meat and vegetarian versions to learn which you like best. An easy starting place is with our recipes listed below.
Does Mincemeat Pie Really Have Meat in It? Historically, mincemeat pie did contain meat, such as mutton, beef, or even game meats, alongside fruits and spices. However, modern versions focus on a delectable, sweet blend of dried fruits, spices, and sometimes rum or brandy.
More often than not, mincemeat today doesn't contain actual meat, but it can contain meat. There are lots of variations on mincemeat. In the U.S., bakers often add fresh and dried cranberries, walnuts or blanched almonds, dried currants, dates, meat (beef, lamb or chicken) and beef suet or butter.
The mincemeat filling we know and love today includes ingredients like finely chopped dried fruits, candied orange, spices, sugar and nuts. Its name dates back to 15th century England when mincemeat would actually contain meat, unlike today's version found in our beloved modern mince pies.
All About Mincemeat: The Fabulous Filling for Mince Pies
These days, mincemeat is made with a mixture of dried fruit, such as raisins and currants, candied fruit peels, lemon and orange zest, finely chopped apple, brandy, warming spices, and the rendered animal fat suet (or a vegetarian substitute).
“A mince pie is a sweet pie of British origin, filled with a mixture of dried fruits and spices called "mincemeat", that is traditionally served during the Christmas season in much of the English-speaking world (Wikipedia). “A meat pie is a pie with a filling of meat and often other savory ingredients.
Today, the default expectation is that mincemeat is meatless—but again, not necessarily vegetarian, because it may still contain suet. If you pick up some mincemeat in stores this winter, check the ingredients. If you're catering to vegetarians, make doubly sure there are no animal products in there.
By the 18th century it was more likely to be tongue or even tripe, and in the 19th century it was minced beef. It was not until the late Victorian period and early 20th Century that mince pies dropped the meat and had all fruit fillings (albeit with suet). Even today there are traditions associated with mince pies.
They were traditionally savoury and did often contain meat in the past, but thankfully, today, that doesn't still happen. It's always worth checking the packaging, but if the pastry doesn't contain dairy then your mince pies should be suitable for vegans.
They became a popular treat around the festive period thanks to a tradition from the middle ages, which saw people eat a mince pie for 12 days from Christmas day to Twelfth Night. Doing this was believed to bring you happiness for the next 12 months.
Unfortunately the company who bought it has decided to discontinue! Get it while you can-the cookie recipe is on the box and they're awesome. Sadly you cannot replicate the cookies properly using the jarred minced meat/they do NOT come out well. Pricey but worth it!
Although the filling is called mincemeat, it's actually made from dried fruit and spices. They were traditionally savoury and did often contain meat in the past, but thankfully, today, that doesn't still happen.
It is not the same as mincemeat, which is a mixture of chopped dried fruit, distilled spirits, spices and historically (but present day rare) minced/ground meat.
In American English, "mincemeat" is a sweet pie filling (I think it's mince pie in BrE) which originally contained some meat but in modern times it is generally made mostly of apples and raisins. It's not very popular anymore, but you sometimes see it around Christmas time.
Not only is mince an incredibly versatile meat, it is also packed full of nutrients that can help support good health and wellbeing. With mince, you don't need to eat a lot of it to get the nutritional goodness.
Introduction: My name is Kareem Mueller DO, I am a vivacious, super, thoughtful, excited, handsome, beautiful, combative person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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