Mince pie

* [[Pastry]]}}

* [[Pastry]]}}

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A '''mince pie''' is a sweet [[pie]] of [[English cuisine|English origin]] filled with [[mincemeat]], a mixture of fruits, nuts, spices and either an [[alcoholic spirit]]—normally brandy—or vinegar. Also included is a fat, traditionally beef [[suet]], although vegetable alternatives can also be used. The pies are traditionally served during the [[Christmas and holiday season|Christmas season]] in much of the [[English-speaking world]]. Its history is a matter of debate but it dates back to the [[medieval]] period, possibly to the eleventh century, when returning European [[Crusades|crusaders]] brought spices back with them.

A '''mince pie''' is a sweet [[pie]] of [[English cuisine|English origin]] filled with [[mincemeat]], a mixture of fruits, nuts, spices and either an [[alcoholic spirit]]—normally [[brandy]]—or vinegar. Also included is a fat, traditionally beef [[suet]], although vegetable alternatives can also be used. The pies are traditionally served during the [[Christmas and holiday season|Christmas season]] in much of the [[English-speaking world]]. Its history is a matter of debate but it dates back to the [[medieval]] period, possibly to the eleventh century, when returning European [[Crusades|crusaders]] brought spices back with them.

Historically, a mince pie was made with meat before changing to the current form. The meat used in recipes varied, but included [[Cattle|neat]]'s tongue (cattle), beef, mutton, [[tripe]] and could also include fish. As the ingredients were expensive, the pies were only eaten on [[feast days]]; this then changed to their becoming associated with Christmas, when they are mostly consumed.

Historically, a mince pie was made with meat before changing to the current form. The meat used in recipes varied, but included [[Cattle|neat]]'s tongue (cattle), beef, mutton, [[tripe]] and could also include fish. As the ingredients were expensive, the pies were only eaten on [[feast days]]; this changed to their becoming associated with Christmas, when they are mostly consumed.

The mince pie was attacked by the [[Puritans]] during the [[Interregnum (England)|Interregnum]] (1649 to 1660), although it was stigmatised for its indulgent and supposed Catholic connotations. The recipe for the mince pie was taken to the Americas by English settlers to the [[New England Colonies]] where it became associated with both Christmas and [[Thanksgiving dinner]]. From the seventeenth century onwards the mince pie moved towards being a small, individual size, rather than for sharing among several people. From the eighteenth century onwards the influx of cheap sugar from the British plantations of the West Indies led to the mince pie becoming more sweet than savoury. The following century recipes increasingly stopped including meat, although there are still some meat recipes being published in the twenty-first century.

The mince pie was attacked by the [[Puritans]] during the [[Interregnum (England)|Interregnum]] (1649 to 1660), although it was stigmatised for its indulgent and supposed Catholic connotations. The recipe for the mince pie was taken to the Americas by English settlers to the [[New England Colonies]] where it became associated with both Christmas and [[Thanksgiving dinner]]. From the seventeenth century onwards the mince pie moved towards being a small, individual size, rather than for sharing among several people. From the eighteenth century onwards the influx of cheap sugar from the British plantations of the West Indies led to the mince pie becoming more sweet than savoury. The following century recipes increasingly stopped including meat, although there are still some meat recipes being published in the twenty-first century.

| caption3 = Pie, dusted with [[icing sugar]] and cut in half

| caption3 = Pie, dusted with [[icing sugar]] and cut in half

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A mince pie comprises a sweet [[pastry]] shell—normally [[shortcrust]]—which is rolled out until it is thin and even, then placed into a suitable mould. A [[mincemeat]] filling is then added. In the twenty-first century mincemeat does not contain meat, but is made with dried fruits, nuts, apples, spices and either an [[alcoholic spirit]]—normally brandy—or vinegar. Also included is a fat, traditionally beef [[suet]],{{efn|Suet is the hard fat that surrounds the [[kidney]]s of beef and mutton.{{sfn|Davidson|2014|p=786}}}} although vegetable alternatives can also be used. The food writer Glyn Hughes opines that mincemeat improves if stored for at least two weeks.{{sfn|Hughes|2016|p=22}} The pie has a pastry lid—also normally shortcrust, but this can also be puff pastry—which can be decorated. The pie is then baked in a moderate to hot oven until it is browned.{{sfnm|1a1=Mason|1y=2015|1p=456|2a1=Ayto|2y=1990|2p=184|3a1=Davidson|3y=2014|3p=523|4a1=Williams|4y=2024|4p=153|5a1=Shanahan|5y=2019|5p=150}}{{sfn|"Minced pie". ''Oxford English Dictionary''}} It is often served with an accompaniment such as cream, [[brandy butter]], Cumberland rum butter,{{efn|Named after [[Cumberland|the historic county of the same name]], Cumberland rum butter is a [[hard sauce]] of butter, rum, sugar and spices. As well as its use at Christmas, traditionally it was also made by expectant mothers three months before their child was born, then served on [[oatcake]]s to those celebrating the birth.{{sfn|Skinner|2012|p=53}}}} ice cream or cheese.{{sfn|Bailey|1969|p=201}}{{sfn|Beard|2007|p=243}}{{sfn|Appelbaum|1984|p=215}}

A mince pie comprises a sweet [[pastry]] shell—normally [[shortcrust]]—which is rolled out until it is thin and even, then placed into a suitable mould. A [[mincemeat]] filling is then added. In the twenty-first century mincemeat does not contain meat, but is made with dried fruits, nuts, apples, spices and either an [[alcoholic spirit]]—normally brandy—or vinegar. Also included is a fat, traditionally beef [[suet]],{{efn|Suet is the hard fat that surrounds the [[kidney]]s of beef and mutton.{{sfn|Davidson|2014|p=786}}}} although vegetable alternatives can be used. The food writer Glyn Hughes opines that mincemeat improves if stored for at least two weeks.{{sfn|Hughes|2016|p=22}} The pie has a pastry lid—also normally shortcrust, but this can also be puff pastry—which can be decorated. The pie is then baked in a moderate to hot oven until it is browned.{{sfnm|1a1=Mason|1y=2015|1p=456|2a1=Ayto|2y=1990|2p=184|3a1=Davidson|3y=2014|3p=523|4a1=Williams|4y=2024|4p=153|5a1=Shanahan|5y=2019|5p=150}}{{sfn|"Minced pie". ''Oxford English Dictionary''}} It is often served with an accompaniment such as cream, [[brandy butter]], Cumberland rum butter,{{efn|Named after [[Cumberland|the historic county of the same name]], Cumberland rum butter is a [[hard sauce]] of butter, rum, sugar and spices. As well as its use at Christmas, traditionally it was also made by expectant mothers three months before their child was born, then served on [[oatcake]]s to those celebrating the birth.{{sfn|Skinner|2012|p=53}}}} ice cream or cheese.{{sfn|Bailey|1969|p=201}}{{sfn|Beard|2007|p=243}}{{sfn|Appelbaum|1984|p=215}}

In Britain in the twenty-first century, a mince pie tends to be small—for individual consumption—and round; in North America, it tends to be large and intended for sharing among several people.{{sfn|Davidson|2014|pp=523–524}}{{sfn|"Mince pie". ''Oxford English Dictionary''}} Historically, as the ingredients were expensive, a pie was only eaten on [[feast days]]; this then changed to it becoming associated with Christmas, when most are consumed; an estimated 175 million were eaten in the UK in 2025.{{sfn|Shanahan|2019|pp=149–150}}{{sfn|Williams|2024|p=152}}{{sfn|Dobson|2026}} A mince pie can be made at home or purchased from commercial outlets; similarly, the mincemeat can homemade or commercially produced.{{sfn|Cloake|Ebuehi|2025}}{{sfn|Mason|2015|p=456}}

In Britain in the twenty-first century, a mince pie tends to be small—for individual consumption—and round; in North America, it tends to be large and intended for sharing among several people.{{sfn|Davidson|2014|pp=523–524}}{{sfn|"Mince pie". ''Oxford English Dictionary''}} Historically, as the ingredients were expensive, a pie was only eaten on [[feast days]]; this changed to it becoming associated with Christmas, when most are consumed; an estimated 175 million were eaten in the UK in 2025.{{sfn|Shanahan|2019|pp=149–150}}{{sfn|Williams|2024|p=152}}{{sfn|Dobson|2026}} A mince pie can be made at home or purchased from commercial outlets; similarly, the mincemeat can homemade or commercially produced.{{sfn|Cloake|Ebuehi|2025}}{{sfn|Mason|2015|p=456}}

The ''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]'' states that "mince" comes from the [[Anglo-Norman language|Anglo-Norman]] and [[Old French]] words ''mincer'' or ''mincier'', which is to "to cut up (food) into small pieces".{{sfn|"Mince". ''Oxford English Dictionary''}} The chef Rory Macdonald suggests that ''mince'' is from the [[Latin]] word {{lang|lat|minutus}}, meaning small; he adds that it "has no connotation with minced meat".{{sfn|Macdonald|2019}}

The ''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]'' states that "mince" comes from the [[Anglo-Norman language|Anglo-Norman]] and [[Old French]] words ''mincer'' or ''mincier'', which is to "to cut up (food) into small pieces".{{sfn|"Mince". ''Oxford English Dictionary''}} The chef Rory Macdonald suggests that ''mince'' is from the [[Latin]] word {{lang|lat|minutus}}, meaning small; he adds that it "has no connotation with minced meat".{{sfn|Macdonald|2019}}

===From the Elizabethan era to the Stuart Restoration===

===From the Elizabethan era to the Stuart Restoration===

In the [[Elizabethan era]] the recipe had not changed much since the medieval version. In [[Elinor Fettiplace's Receipt Book|her "receipt book"]],{{efn|The common name for a recipe was, at the time, "receipt".{{sfn|"Receipt and recipe". British Library}}}} (dated 1604), [[Elinor Fettiplace]] included a recipe for mince pies that included mutton with the same amount of beef suet and "twice so much sugar as salt".{{sfn|Spurling|1987|p=220}} [[Hilary Spurling]], Fettiplace's biographer, followed the recipe and noted that the sugar, like the salt, was meant as a seasoning, rather than to make the pies as sweet as modern versions. Spurling likened the results to [[empanada]]s from Argentina or [[samosa]]s and other Middle Eastern "dry, mildly spiced meat pasties".{{sfn|Spurling|1987|p=220}}

By the [[Elizabethan era]] the recipe had not changed much since the medieval version. In [[Elinor Fettiplace's Receipt Book|her "receipt book"]],{{efn|The common name for a recipe was, at the time, "receipt".{{sfn|"Receipt and recipe". British Library}}}} (dated 1604), [[Elinor Fettiplace]] included a recipe for mince pies that included mutton with the same amount of beef suet and "twice so much sugar as salt".{{sfn|Spurling|1987|p=220}} [[Hilary Spurling]], Fettiplace's biographer, followed the recipe and noted that the sugar, like the salt, was meant as a seasoning, rather than to make the pies as sweet as modern versions. Spurling likened the results to [[empanada]]s from Argentina or [[samosa]]s and other Middle Eastern "dry, mildly spiced meat pasties".{{sfn|Spurling|1987|p=220}}

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==Traditions, superstitions and cultural impact==

==Traditions, superstitions and cultural impact==

[[File:Portrait of Mr Mince Pie, MP for Christmas.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=A mince pie in top hat, waistcoat, trousers, shoes and overcoat, carrying a walking stick; it wears a sprig of holly in its lapel|''[[Punch (magazine)|Punch]]'' depicted an anthropomorphic mince pie as "the MP for Christmas"]]

[[File:Portrait of Mr Mince Pie, MP for Christmas.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=A mince pie in top hat, waistcoat, trousers, shoes and overcoat, carrying a walking stick; it wears a sprig of holly in its lapel|''[[Punch (magazine)|Punch]]'' depicted an anthropomorphic mince pie as "the MP for Christmas"]]

For many people, the mince pie is closely associated with [[Christmas traditions#Traditional cuisine|the yule tradition]]. It is not know exactly when the pie became so closely connected with the season—although probably by the [[Elizabethan era]]—and in 1893 the humorous magazine ''[[Punch (magazine)|Punch]]'' produced a cartoon showing a mince pie as the "MP for Christmas".{{sfn|Shanahan|2019|pp=149–150}}{{sfn|Stavely|Fitzgerald|2011|p=274}}{{sfn|"Portrait of Mr Mince Pie, MP for Christmas". ''Punch''}} The food historian Madeline Shanahan describes the mince pie as "one of Christmas's most iconic dishes",{{sfn|Shanahan|2019|pp=149–150}} and a 2025 a poll showed that forty-four per cent of people in Britain thought the mince pie epitomised the taste of Christmas.{{sfn|"Morrisons Celebrates First Ever 'National Mince Pie Day' with Thousands of Free Bakes for Brits". Morrisons}}

For many people, the mince pie is closely associated with [[Christmas traditions#Traditional cuisine|the yule tradition]]. It is not known exactly when the pie became so closely connected with the season—although probably by the [[Elizabethan era]]—and in 1893 the humorous magazine ''[[Punch (magazine)|Punch]]'' produced a cartoon showing a mince pie as the "MP for Christmas".{{sfn|Shanahan|2019|pp=149–150}}{{sfn|Stavely|Fitzgerald|2011|p=274}}{{sfn|"Portrait of Mr Mince Pie, MP for Christmas". ''Punch''}} The food historian Madeline Shanahan describes the mince pie as "one of Christmas's most iconic dishes",{{sfn|Shanahan|2019|pp=149–150}} and a 2025 a poll showed that forty-four per cent of people in Britain thought the mince pie epitomised the taste of Christmas.{{sfn|"Morrisons Celebrates First Ever 'National Mince Pie Day' with Thousands of Free Bakes for Brits". Morrisons}}

Because of its long history and deep connections to Christmas, much [[folklore]] has developed around the mince pie. Some sources state that the spices used in mincemeat represents [[Gifts of the Magi|the gifts given to Jesus by the Magi]];{{sfn|Mason|2015|p=456}} others state that the [[Elizabethan era|Elizabethan]]s would shape their mince pies to represent [[Jesus]]'s crib, complete with a pastry model of Jesus on top.{{sfn|Struthers|2008|p=31}} Shanahan and the food historian Laura Mason observe that there is little evidence to support either of these pieces of folklore.{{sfn|Mason|2015|p=456}}{{sfn|Shanahan|2019|p=150}}

Because of its long history and deep connections to Christmas, much [[folklore]] has developed around the mince pie. Some sources state that the spices used in mincemeat represents [[Gifts of the Magi|the gifts given to Jesus by the Magi]];{{sfn|Mason|2015|p=456}} others state that the [[Elizabethan era|Elizabethan]]s would shape their mince pies to represent [[Jesus]]'s crib, complete with a pastry model of Jesus on top.{{sfn|Struthers|2008|p=31}} Shanahan and the food historian Laura Mason observe that there is little evidence to support either of these pieces of folklore.{{sfn|Mason|2015|p=456}}{{sfn|Shanahan|2019|p=150}}