HISTORY ARTICLES

Mince Pie - What is it?

By Judith Hesp

A. Suzanne, the French historian of English cookery, said of the mince pie, “This little pie is especially esteemed and popular in England. This, with the legendary plum pudding, presides as a master at the gargantuan love-feast of Christmas. Its absence from a Christmas dinner would be looked upon as a breach of the traditional rules and customs.”

Centuries ago, pies, tarts, and tartlets were all characterized by having a filling in a pastry crust or “coffin.” A small pie was known as a tartlet and a tart was a large, shallow open pie (this is still the definition in England). Mince pies have changed in shape and content over the years. Three centuries ago, a mince pie was a huge dish called “Christmas pye” and described as “a most learned mixture of Neats-tongues (ox tongue), chicken, eggs, sugar, raisins, lemon and orange peel, various kinds of spicery, etc.” Over the years, the pies grew smaller, and the meat content was gradually reduced until the pies were simply filled with a mixture of suet, spices and dried fruit, previously steeped in brandy. This filling was put into little pastry cases that were covered with pastry lids and then baked in an oven. Essentially, this is today’s English mince pie.

When mincemeat is made in the English kitchen, all the family takes turns in stirring and making a secret wish. The mixture is always stirred clockwise, the direction in which the sun is assumed to proceed around an earth at the center of the universe. To stir in a counter-clockwise direction is to ask for trouble in the coming year!

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Sunnyside Mincemeat Pie

This recipe is from the cookbook of the family kitchen at Sunnyside, Washington Irving’s New York home.

2 pounds lean beef, ground
1 pound suet, ground
2 pounds sugar
5 pounds tart apples (pared, cored, and chopped)
2 pounds muscat raisins
1 pound currants
1 pound sultana raisins
1/2 pound citron, chopped

1/2 pound orange peel, chopped
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon mace
1 quart boiled cider (about)
brandy
pastry for a 2-crust pie

Mix beef, suet, sugar, fruit, salt, spices, and cider in a large kettle. Cover and simmer, stirring frequently, for 2 hours. Add cider if needed. Stir in brandy to taste. Pack into sterilized 1-quart jars, seal securely, store in a cool place, and allow to mellow at least 1 month before using. Makes 5 jars.

To make the pie: Line a 9-inch pie pan with pastry. Spoon in enough mincemeat to fill the pan and cover with remaining pastry, rolled thin. Seal securely and slash top in several places so steam can escape. Bake at 450° oven for 30 minutes. Serve warm.