If you've ever wondered why they're called "mince" pies when there's no meat in them, you're asking the right question. Today's mince pies are packed with dried fruit, suet, and spices, but for most of history, these festive treats actually contained minced meat—and plenty of it.

The Victorian Recipe: Beef, Tongue, and Spice

Victorian cookbook writers like Eliza Acton (1845) and Mrs Beeton (1861) included ox tongue and beef in their mincemeat recipes. A typical Victorian mincemeat combined lean beef or ox tongue with raisins, currants, beef suet, candied citrus peel, and warming spices like nutmeg and mace. The ox tongue was boiled, skinned, and chopped before being mixed with the sweet ingredients and preserved with brandy.

Mrs Beeton's famous cookbook actually offered two recipes—one with meat and one without—showing that the transition was already underway by the 1860s.

From Medieval Crusaders to Christmas Tradition

The meat-and-fruit combination came to England from the Middle East during the Crusades in the 12th century. Medieval and Tudor recipes used lamb, mutton, or veal mixed with dried fruits and expensive imported spices. These weren't the small, sweet pies we know today—they were large, oblong creations that served as a way to preserve meat before refrigeration.

The spices weren't just for flavor. Cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg were incredibly expensive and symbolized the gifts of the Three Wise Men, which is how mince pies became associated with Christmas.

By the Georgian and Victorian eras, the pies shrank in size and grew sweeter, with sugar and dried fruit taking center stage. But meat remained a key ingredient in many households.

When Did the Meat Disappear?

The shift happened gradually during the late 19th century. As Victorian tastes became sweeter and sugar more affordable, the meat content diminished. By the early 20th century, most commercially produced mince pies contained no actual meat—just suet (beef or mutton fat) to provide richness.

Today, even the suet is often vegetarian. Modern mince pies bear little resemblance to their meaty ancestors, but the name remains as a reminder of their carnivorous past.

Would You Eat a Meat Mince Pie?

Some food historians and adventurous bakers have revived Victorian recipes, and the reviews are surprisingly positive. The combination of savory meat with sweet dried fruit and warm spices creates a complex, rich flavor—think of it as a distant cousin to Moroccan tagine or Middle Eastern keema dishes.

So the next time you bite into a sweet, fruity mince pie at Christmas, remember: your great-great-grandparents were eating something very different. And it involved ox tongue.

Related Tags