Mince pie, anyone? The history of a seasonal favourite
Pies Of Mince Real Christmas Many For The — Taste
Mince pies are “indispensable at this time of year”, declared Cork bakers FH Thompson & Sons in the at Christmas 1890.
Of course, there are mince pies and mince pies, some with crumbly short pastry, others with flaky puff pastry. “Some you eat for the sake of the filling, leaving as much as possible of the crust on your plate”, pointed out pastry manufacturer Krusto in their 1931 advert. Of others — like theirs, naturally — you wouldn’t waste a crumb of “light, golden” casing. But until recent times, if you asked someone whether they’d like a mince pie, you’d be offering them a mainly savoury dish flavoured with spices originally brought to Europe by the Crusaders from the Holy Land.
“The pie was an Irish invention”, claimed the on 20 December 1922, “its highly seasoned contents, when real meat was within, being suited to the cold, damp winter in this country”.
One of the world’s oldest cookbooks, (1390), includes a recipe for ‘Tartes of Flesche’, stuffed with minced pork, hard boiled eggs, lard and cheese, sweetened with figs, raisins, wine, honey, pine nuts and spices. By the end of the 16th century the tarts were known as ‘mutton pies’, ‘shred’ or ‘Christmas pies’. Mutton was later substituted with cows’ tongues.
The pie with its overhanging crust was rectangular, and some say represented the manger where Jesus was born. A figure of a baby was once placed in a hollow in the dough, to form a little crib. At Christmas the figure was removed and the children ate the manger — blissfully unaware that every cookery book in the land called the crust the ‘coffin’, possibly commemorating all those lives sacrificed in the Crusades.
It’s often put about that Oliver Cromwell foamed at the mouth on sighting a mince pie, and banned the “abominable and idolatrous confections” when clamping down on Christmas feasts during the 1650s. “Only the bravest of his enemies ate one, and trembled for their lives while doing so”, wrote columnist Captain Mac in the , December 31, 1954.
Seventeenth century poet Robert Herrick reckoned the pies were so “toothsome” they appealed to thieves. They certainly attracted interest: in the 1660s, Samuel Pepys recorded in his diary that his wife stayed up until 4am watching their maid make mince pies. They were brought out during celebrations throughout the year: Pepys reported eating some at a friend’s wedding anniversary in January, when 18 were baked, one for each year of marriage.
During the 18th century, mince pies became sweeter as cheap sugar arrived from British Empire plantations. Recipes in Edward Kidder’s (1720) and Hannah Glasse’s (1747) both require 1lb of sugar, not the “tiny quantity” mentioned by Elinor Fettiplace in her 1604 cookbook. The meat content was correspondingly reduced.
Mrs Beeton included two recipes for mince pies in her (1861): one includes only 1lb of beef, the other is meat-free.
Even at the beginning of the 20th century, a mince pie was still considerably more savoury than today. In summer 1909 the carried a recipe containing “one bowl of meat, chopped fine”.
By mid-century, the only trace of flesh left in the mixture was suet, although beef dripping might be used to make the pastry.
Today’s mincemeat — typically available in 1lb and 2lb jars — includes currants, raisins, sultanas, apples, figs, prunes, dates, spices, sugar and lemon juice. Animal fat is often substituted by vegetable suet. Pies have become round-shaped and homeware shops sell mince pie cutters and patty tins for dolloping the mixture into. The best pastry cases have thin and crispy, not "soggy bottoms".
But to save all the slog, bakers have long offered the treats ready-made: at Christmas 1937, O’Driscolls in Skibbereen, for example, singled out mince pies as their “speciality” to readers of the .
There is an ‘exceedingly’ long tradition of eating one mince pie each day over the 12 days of Christmas, to bring good luck and happiness for the next 12 months. However, in December 1909 the recorded the story of a small boy who ate all 12 mince pies before going to bed on Christmas Eve — a feat that “few of our older readers would care to repeat”, given the risks of indigestion, bloating and frightful flatulence.
On December 17, 1955, Inspector General Sir Richard Pim of Belfast (55) received an unexpected parcel from ‘M.D.’ in the Christmas mail. Unwrapping it, he discovered a box bearing the name of a well-known local bakery. Inside were 12 homemade-looking mince pies.
“We were suspicious the moment we opened them because they had a strong smell of almond”, said Lady Pim. Luckily, there were no children in the house, otherwise “anyone might have had a nibble”.
That evening, they received a phone call from an unknown man who said he was relieved they hadn’t opened them because they were poisoned. The call was traced to a coin box outside police barracks on Falls Road, Belfast. Lab tests showed the pies were laced with lethal cyanide. Police interviewed chemists who had access to poisons, but eventually drew a blank.
Most pies are, of course, not only wholesome but delicious. They’ve also been greatly valued. In October 1856, a “kind lady” judged a mince pie sufficient incentive to persuade the editor of the to “please insert” her letter. An illustrated song of 1910, ‘The Last Mince Pie’, describes a family, dog included, “sobbing” as they realize they’re about to eat their final one. In December 1914, mince pies were sent out to Tommies in the trenches, and much appreciated.
“Christmas is the time when everybody expects to enjoy mince pies”, insisted F.H. Thompson & Sons on the front page of this newspaper a century ago, December 16, 1924. It’s as true today as it was then.
Mince pie anyone?… One with your sherry, Santa?
- Many superstitions surround mince pies: the filling should only be stirred clockwise; a wish should be made when eating your first of the season; you should wait to be offered a pie, never ask for one; and it’s very unlucky to touch one with a knife.
- In 1856, Alfred Day rode the chestnut filly ‘Mincepie’, to win the Epsom Oaks in 3 minutes 4 seconds (Illustrated London News, 7 June 1856, p.621).
- The largest mince pie on record was made by Messrs l. and W. Radford Ltd on 14 October 1932 in Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire. Weighing 2,260 lbs (1.02 tonnes), and measuring 20 x 5 ft (6.1 x 1.5m), it was carried by a six-wheel lorry to Ashby- de-la-Zouch market, carved up, and auctioned for charity.
- In January 1954 a mince pie was successfully used as bait to catch a pet monkey on the loose in Brighton.
- The fastest time to wolf down three mince pies is 52.21 seconds (Leah Shutkever, London, 25 September 2019).
- Asda’s ‘Exceptional’ mince pies for 2024 include three fancy new flavours: Fig, Whisky and Spiced Honey, Toffee Apple Spiced Crumble, and Frangipane & Amaretto.