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by staffie on December 1st, 2007

staffie

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Why are mince pies called mince pies when theres no mince in them?

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  • by Moosemose on January 23rd, 2008

    Moosemose

    Interesting Topic with some "History". Enjoy! John

    < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mincemeat >

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  • by ChandaDiane - est. 1975 on December 1st, 2007

    ChandaDiane - est. 1975

    :O) I think it is a minced meat pie. Where the meat is minced, but then again, what do i know... I can't bring my self to seriously try something called a meat pie... it sounds kinda dirty.

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  • by dea_ex_machina on November 11th, 2008

    dea_ex_machina

    I cannot take credit for this - it was taken from :

    http://www.mincepieclub.co.uk/Mince_Pie_News/Mince_Pie_History/The_History_Of_The_Mince_Pie.html

    But it is interesting!

    1413 - King Henry V of England served a mincemeat pie at his coronation in 1413. King Henry VIII liked his Christmas pie to be a main-dish pie filled with mincemeat.

    1545 - A cookbook from the mid 16th century that also includes some account of domestic life, cookery and feasts in Tudor days, called A Proper newe Booke of Cokerye, declarynge what maner of meates be beste in season, for al times in the yere, and how they ought to be dressed, and serued at the table, bothe for fleshe dayes, and fyshe dayes, has a recipe for a pie that sounds alot like a modern day mincemeat pie:

    To make Pyes - Pyes of mutton or beif must be fyne mynced and ceasoned wyth pepper and salte, and a lyttle saffron to coloure it, suet or marrow a good quantite, a lyttle vyneger, prumes, greate raysins and dates, take thefattest of the broathe of powdred beyfe, and yf you wyll have paest royall, take butter and yolkes of egges and so tempre the flowre to make the paeste.


    1588 - In the1588 Good Hous-Wiues Treasurie by Edward Allde, meats were still cut up to be eaten with a spoon and combined with fruits and heavy spices. Typical was his recipe for Minst Pye which used practically the same ingredients that go into a modern mince pie.


    1657 - During the reign of Oliver Cromwell they were banned along with other Christian traditions and acts. When they were reintroduced to Britain their size was again reduced, to the size as they are today, so that they could be served individually, especially to guests. They were named Wayfarer Pies.

    1659 - In 1659, Oliver Cromwell's Puritan influence spread across the Atlantic ocean to American British Colonies, and many towns of New England went so far as to actually ban mincemeat pies at Christmas time. Christmas was actually banned in Boston from 1659 to 1681. Those celebrating it were fined.

    1853 - Quaker Elizabeth Ellicott Lea explained in her book called Domestic Cookery that was published in 1853: "Where persons have a large family, and workmen on a farm, these pies are very useful." By useful, she meant that the pies could be baked in large numbers, and more importantly, during cold weather, they could be kept for as long as two months. The mincemeat could be made ahead and kept even longer.

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  • by Mary Mary quite contrary on November 11th, 2008

    Mary Mary quite contrary

    Mince means to chop up finely. Mince pies have ingredients that are chopped up finely.

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  • by Worzel on January 23rd, 2008

    Worzel

    I think it was a way of using up the fruits left over from autumn/fall, you minced the fruit up and added other ingredients,etc, hence mince fruit pies :o)

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  • by Vexxation on January 23rd, 2008

    Vexxation

    It comes from the foreverago days of the wayback times when they actually had minced meat in them. Nowadays, most use suet, but Amish mincemeat pies often contain actual meat.

    And taste a lot better.

    Also, mince isn't a thing. It's an activity. So it's impossible to contain mince.

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  • by HappinessInSlavery on January 23rd, 2008

    HappinessInSlavery

    Don't most Mince Pie recipes include Suet? I know for vegetarian Mince Pies you have to replace the suet with vegetable fat.

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  • by Schonberg on November 11th, 2008

    Schonberg

    Years ago they were originally made of meat that had been left over from Christmas and the meat was put through a mincer.

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  • by Im Alec has abandoned this account on November 11th, 2008

    Im Alec has abandoned this account

    Mince just means to chop up finely. Mince pies contain finely chopped fruits. What you call mind probably should be called minced beef. But because it is so common, people use the shorthand.

    Actually, it should be mincemeat pies. Because meat comes from "mets" from the French verb to put. Mets meant any food put on the table, a cooked dish as opposed to unprepared food. So sweets were "sweetmeats" - sweet prepared things.

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  • by Grainne on November 11th, 2008

    Grainne

    bacause they just want to try & fool everyone & they want to try see who's smart enough to come up with a reasonable answer but really this is the best you'll get ;)

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