Christmas Pudding History

The Lord of Misrule's Christmas Guide
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Mince Pies

Mince pies, as we eat them today, are small covered tarts filled with “sweet” mincemeat made from dried fruit, peel, spice and some brandy or a similar alcohol. Although this was not always how they were cooked and eaten.

MinceMEAT pies can be traced back in historical records to the very early 1600s (although they were probably eaten long before that time) when their meaty ingredients usually included: rabbits, pigeons, partridges, hares, pheasants, capons, eggs, pickled mushrooms, dried fruit and spices.

All the meat would be minced together to make a vast pie weighing as much as 100 kg (about 225 lbs) or more and made from either puff or shortcrust pastry. The pies used to be oblong or square in shape and were also known as Crib Cakes or Crib Pies because they sometimes had a pastry figure of baby Jesus or a star, symbolising the star that hung over Bethlehem, on the top of them.

Banned during the puritanical “reign” of Oliver Cromwell, they resurfaced post-Cromwell largely as the sweetmeat pies that we love and devour ravenously today. Their shape changed to being small and round and it became customary to give them to visitors as a festive greeting, leading to yet another name for them: Wayfarers’ Pies. It was considered highly auspicious to eat a different pie in 12 different houses during the 12 days of Christmas.

Mince pies are the favourite festive food of Father Christmas and children should leave one or two for Santa to eat whilst he is busy doling out presents.

In the UK, whilst mince pies are being made, the mincemeat mixture should only be stirred clockwise to bring the stirrer and their family good luck for the coming year.

People also make a wish when eating their first mince pie of the season, and they take great care never to tell anyone else what they wished for, as to speak a wish out loud is to break it for sure. Some people even think that mince pies should be eaten in silence – mainly adults who use this ploy to keep their kids quiet.

Mince Pie Recipe

For Delia Smith's Christmas cook book, click here.