Mince Pie
Below is an article about the British dish known as Mince Pie:
MINCE PIE
For years, I have heard about the Mince Pie. Years. But for some reason, I have never had the inclination to try it. Wait a minute. Hmmmmm . . . Nope, I have never tried. For a moment, I got it mixed up with a slice of Rhubarb Pie I had as a kid . . . and disliked it. But I have never sampled Mince Pie.
This British dish is traditionally served during the Christmas holiday season. Its ingredients usually consist of minced meat - especially beef or mutton, suet (raw beef or mutton fat), a variety of fruit, and spices such as cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Originally, the dish's size was the same as a typical pie. But over the years, the Mince Pie - at least in Great Britain - was reduced to small, individual size. However, the original size of the Mince Pie has remained the same in New England.
The ingredients of the Mince Pie can be traced back to the return of European Crusaders from the Holy Land. Middle Eastern methods of cooking, which sometimes combined meats, fruits and spices had become popular. By the 16th century, English cooks were serving this sweet and savory mixture in dishes known as Shrid pies. According to English anitquary John Timbs, the addition of spices like cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg was "in token of the offerings of the Eastern Magi". Timbs and several other authors believed the pie originated from an old Roman custom, practiced during Saturnalia festival, where Roman fathers in the Vatican were presented with sweetmeats.
By the late 16th and early 17th centuries, Mince Pies became associated with Christmas. According author Margaret Baker, the recipe for the dish's fillings possessed thirteen (13) ingredients that were supposed to represent Jesus Christ and his twelve (12) Apostles. However, following the victory of Oliver Cromwell's forces after the English Civil War, the Mince Pie was deemed a Catholic customs. And along with other customs associated with that particular religion, censured by Cromwell's Protectorate. Puritans, who had immigrated to North America decades before the beginning of the Civil War, also opposed the Mince Pie on the grounds of its connection with Catholicism. By the 18th and 19th centuries, the recipe for the Mince Pie no longer required 13 ingredients and ceased to possess any religious meaning. However, the dish continued to be associated with the Christmas holidays. In New England, the celebration of Christmas did not become traditional until the 19th century. Therefore, the Mince Pie in that region became more associated with the Thanksgiving holiday.
Below is a recipe from the Allrecipes.com website:
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups diced cooked beef
4 cups chopped apples
1 1/2 cups raisins
1/4 cup sweet pickle juice
1/4 cup pineapple juice
1 large orange, peeled, sectioned, and cut into bite-size
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup sorghum
1 cup beef broth
Preparation
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Take the filling out of refrigerator and let come to room temperature. Prepare crusts. Stir filling well and pour into crust shell. Top with full crust and make slits or make a lattice top. Crimp edges. Bake in preheated oven on low shelf for 40 minutes or until golden brown.