Thanksgiving is over, so put away thoughts of pumpkin pie and instead go for the English classic Mincemeat this holiday season.
Just what the heck is Mincemeat, anyway? Well, it can be traced back to the British Isles in the 13th Century, as sailors brought Middle Eastern recipes back with them from their travels. It was done as a way of preserving meat using sugar and alcohol without smoke or salt, and the typically British meat of choice at the time was mutton.
Spices like cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon were added in the Late Medieval and Renaissance-era dishes. It started to become known as a Christmas-time tradition as these spices commemorated the gifts of the Magi. Mince pie, made with meat and spices, was prepared in a manger-shaped casing with an indentation for an edible baby Jesus to be placed on top. It was considered lucky to eat one of these pies on each of the 12 days of Christmas – ending with the Epiphany on January 6th.
In the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries, Mincemeat was a mixture of fruit (prunes, raisins, dates) and finely diced meat, along with wines or vinegars. But by the 18th century, wine and vinegar were replaced mostly by brandy or other distilled spirits. In the mid- to late 18th century, sources say mincemeat was connected with a more rural palate, but the staunch Victorians quickly recast it as a refined, “Christmastime tradition.”
Fast forward to modern times, particularly toward the mid-20th century, and meat was pretty much eliminated from most recipes. The only remaining “meat” sometimes included in mince pies is suet, or kidney fat, usually from beef. Commonly acceptable fruits included dried fruit, chopped apples, citrus peel, currants, citron, candied fruits, brandy, rum or another liqueur.
There are a plethora of Mincemeat Pie recipes available on the internet, from trusted sources like Pillsbury.com, Saveur.com, Allrecipes.com, Epicurious.com, Chef Grant Achatz’s via foodandwine.com, and the always fabulous Alton Brown’s ican be found on foodnetwork.com. Try this traditional treat to sweeten your holidays or any day, and tempt those Mincemeat maligners to the dessert table!
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