What Is Mincemeat?

mincemeat pie — Photo: mtreasure/Getty Images

"He was gobbling mincemeat, meatbone, bread, cheese, and pork pie, all at once." Maybe you remember reading this description in Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. But wait, what is mincemeat anyway?

Mincemeat is essentially a mixture of chopped dried fruits, distilled spirits, a combination of spices, beef suet, and (traditionally) chopped meat which is usually used as a pie or pastry filling. Although this sweet-savory mixture has evolved a bit from its medieval origins, it's still very much associated with the Christmas season.

Traditionally, the meat of mincemeat was usually beef or venison. The "mince" in mincemeat comes from the Middle English term, mincen, and the Old French mincier, which means "chopped finely." According to The Christmas Encyclopedia, mincemeat pie — also commonly referred to as mince pie or Christmas pie — originated in England during the Middle Ages.

Of course, the biggest question for those who aren't familiar with mincemeat pie is: Does it really contain meat?

a wooden bowl of homemade mincemeat — Mincemeat. Allrecipes

What Is Mincemeat?

Mincemeat is a combination of dried chopped fruits, warm spices (like cinnamon and nutmeg), sugar, nuts, distilled spirits — and traditionally, meat. So yes, mutton or beef is an integral element of the most traditional iterations of this English dish. The name "mincemeat" originally referred to a combination of ingredients that included meat in the recipe. Alcohol was incorporated into mincemeat to act as a preservative for the meat, along with the addition of sugar.

The mincemeat mixture also contained suet and was used as a pie or pastry filling. The pie filling ingredients could lean more sweet or more savory, depending on the recipe. Many present-day versions available at bakeries and for commercial sale replace the suet with vegetable shortening.

What's It Made Of?

Beyond the traditional ingredients — the dried fruit, spirits and spices, and meat and suet — other ingredients can be incorporated to add personality to the blend. Variations can include additions of simmered apples, cider, candied cherries, brown sugar, apricots, dried cherries, cranberries, currants, figs, and citrus.

Mincemeat Recipes:

Wait, What's Suet?

Suet is a product made from an animal fat that is removed from the meat, clarified, chopped, and boiled. This process acts to remove impurities. When the boiled mixture cools the water and fat separate; the fat that remains is the suet.

In addition to mincemeat, suet is an ingredient used in many traditional British recipes. It is found in items like steamed puddings and various pastry confections. The suet is also used in hearty savory dishes to bring a deep umami flavor to dishes like meat pies.

Some modern recipes lean on vegetarian versions of suet, rather than using the traditional meat-based fat product. Vegetable suet is a solid fat made from refined vegetable oil. This vegetarian alternative to beef suet is perfectly suitable for use in mincemeat recipes. Vegetarian suet can be substituted in any recipe that calls for regular suet. It will not deliver the signature meaty flavor of beef-based suet, but will yield the desired texture.

Mincemeat Pie with Brandy Butter — Photo by Smart Cookie.

So, What's Mincemeat Pie?

Mincemeat pies were once a status symbol of wealth given the expensive price tags on meat and fruit. Notable Englishmen would throw lavish feasts around Christmas and made the pies a part of the menu.

English recipes from the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries typically include a fermented mixture of meat and fruit used as a savory pie filling. Early recipes included tart vinegars and wines for flavor. The 18th century versions included distilled spirits like brandy and the use of warming spices like clove, nutmeg, mace, and cinnamon. The pie filling eventually took on a bit more sweetness with the addition of sugar. Added sugar is what took the mincemeat pie from an overtly savory option to a dish that could have a flavor profile more like a dessert.

Later recipes list the lean beef, beef suet, along with raisins, currants, sugar, lemon and orange peel, as well as aromatic nutmeg and cloves simmered with brandy.

Mincemeat pies and tarts are frequently served during the Christmas holiday season to this day, though many modern-day recipes eliminate meat from the ingredient list. In the northeastern United States, mincemeat pies are considered a traditional part of the Thanksgiving holiday feast for many families.

If you're ready to try this holiday delicacy for yourself, be sure to explore our entire collection of Mincemeat Pie Recipes.