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Mince pie

 
Dictionary: Mince· pie

A pie made of mince-meat.


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Food and Nutrition: mince pie
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Small pastry tart, filled with mincemeat, traditionally eaten at Christmas.

WordNet: mince pie
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Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: pie containing mincemeat


Wikipedia: Mince pie
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An individual mince pie
An American mince pie

A mince pie (sometimes also minced, minced meat, or mincemeat pie) is a British festive sweet pastry, traditionally consumed during the Christmas and New Year period. Mince pies normally have a pastry top, but versions may also be found without the top in which case they are known as mince tarts. Mince pies are filled with mincemeat – a preserve typically containing apple, dried fruits such as raisins and sultanas, spices, and either suet or vegetable shortening.[1] Modern mince pies typically do not contain any meat, but because suet is raw beef or mutton fat, mince pies made with suet are not suitable for vegetarians. Individual mince pies are usually 6–7.5 cm (2.5-3 inches) in diameter, although larger mince pies, suitable for slicing, may also be baked.

Contents

History

The origins of Mince pies date back to medieval times.[citation needed]

Variations

Other variations include

  • the mincemeat tart, similar in form and taste, save for the lack of a pastry top.
  • mincemeat slices, which replace the pastry lid with a Victoria sponge topping; they are baked in a large square tin and cut into slices or as individual pieces in a bun tin
  • the mincemeat pasty (similar in appearance to a Cornish pasty)
  • the 'iced-top' variation, where the pastry lid is replaced by fondant icing

In popular culture

  • In Great Britain, and other countries, such as Ireland, mince pies are seen as a favourite food of Father Christmas. Children leave one or two mince pies on a plate at the foot of the chimney (along with a small glass of brandy, sherry or milk, and a carrot for the reindeer) as a thank you for filling their stockings.[2]
  • The government of Pitt the Younger formed on 18 December 1783 was satirically dubbed the mince-pie administration as it was widely believed that it would not last until Christmas.[3]

References

  1. ^ "Mincemeat". BBC Food Glossary. http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/glossary/m.shtml?mincemeat. Retrieved 2009-01-17. 
  2. ^ British Life and Culture: Mince Pies at Project Britain
  3. ^ Ehrman, J. (1969). The Younger Pitt - 1: The Years of Acclaim. London: Constable. pp. p.133. ISBN 0094659907. 

External links


 
 

 

Copyrights:

Dictionary. Webster 1913 Dictionary edited by Patrick J. Cassidy  Read more
Food and Nutrition. A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition. Copyright © 1995, 2003, 2005 by A. E. Bender and D. A. Bender. All rights reserved.  Read more
WordNet. WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Mince pie" Read more