From a savoury beginning to the sweet, festive treat Brits love today, mince pies have undergone a tremendous transformation over centuries.
Originally called “tartes of flesh”, these Christmas staples were once filled with meat, eggs, cheese, and spices, according to a 1390 cookbook.
By 1615, lavish additions such as a whole leg of mutton, suet, and various fruits made their way into the pie.
BBC’s Veronique Greenwood sheds light on their evolution: “In Tudor times they were rectangular, shaped like a manger and often had a pastry baby Jesus on the lid.
“They were made from 13 ingredients to represent Jesus and his disciples and were all symbolic to the Christmas story.”
The affordability of sugar in the wake of West Indian sugarcane plantations ushered in the era of sweet pies.
Victorian times saw mince pies become completely sweet, with 1861 seeing the introduction of a vegetarian version by Mrs Beeton.
During Prohibition-era Chicago, the alcohol content in canned mince pie filling soared, reaching levels above 14 percent for a spirited holiday delight.
Today, thankfully, mince pies favour the palate with their rich, sweet fruit mix, representing a culinary journey from hearty meat pastries to the scrumptious, spirit-laced desserts that garnish our Christmas tables, reports the Mirror.
In times gone by, pastry casings were not meant for eating but served as containers to hold the fillings together.
Janet Clarkson, author of ‘Pie,’ further explained the science behind this storage technique that was so common centuries ago.
She detailed: “A well-baked meat pie, with liquid fat poured into any steam holes left open and left to solidify, might even be kept for up to a year, with the crust apparently keeping out air and spoilage.”
Although this practice might seem strange in our modern world obsessed with “best before dates”, Clarkson observes that it was “such a common practice that we have to assume that most of the time consumers survived the experience”.
