When Santa comes down chimneys in England, he typically gets a little sherry and minced pie.
A recent dinner time conversation about minced meat got me thinking that not everyone is familiar with this favored dish.
Thomas Webster’s 1815 Encyclopedia of Domestic Economy lays out a recipe for mince meat including: two pounds of beef finely chopped, two pounds of apples peeled and chopped small, two pounds of raisins chopped, two pounds of currants and one pound of sugar plus some lemon juice and two wine glasses of French brandy.
In other words a beefy, fruity sweet mash up.
What developed originally during the 11th century as a way to preserve meat in lieu of salting and smoking. The Crusaders brought a variety of spices back to England, and at least three were used (cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg) to symbolize the three gifts from the wise men. According to WhyChristmas.com, Christmas Mince pies were originally oval shaped to symbolize the cradle for baby Jesus. They also would sometimes feature a baby figure on top (reminds me of the New Orleans tradition of King cake). It was this association with Christmas that would help it stand the test of time (sort of like fruitcake).
During the Stuart era, and carrying through at least the Georgian era, the ton would feature Christmas pies with different shapes on top (stars, hearts, flowers) to show off their pastry cook (and therefore their wealth).
According to an article in the Independent, minced pie began to be made sweeter in the 18th Century as cheap sugar arrived from slave plantations in the West Indies. The increased sweetness often reduced the amount of meat in the pie, so that by the 19th century mince pie became very close to what we may know it as today.
