Mince pies - anyone else confused?

Some supermarkets advertise "mince pies" for Christmas.

OK, nothing new.
But now they advertise it as "vegetarian/even vegan".

So I go to the counter and say, you cannot have vegetarian mince pies - it's a contradiction in terms.

And this lady looks at me and says: "That's not really mince".

But then why do they call it "mince pies"?

a reply to: halfoldman

Fun fact of the day. It is technically illegal to eat a mince pie on Christmas Day in England.

Google it

a reply to: halfoldman

My guess is that people think the mince means diced and not the actual ingredient of meat.

Still better than Tofurkey!

Its just something we like to do to confuse foreigners.....

a reply to: halfoldman

They are probably thinking mince meat which does not have to use animal based suet and is otherwise entirely fruit-based. Because when I look it up, it seems that just mince refers to meat pies and mince meat refers to this raisen, candied fruit, fat, fruit concoction.

Yeah, a mince pie doesn't contain any meat. They're filled with a mixture of dried fruit and spices.

And I guess a vegan mince pie would be one where the pastry doesn't include butter and eggs.

The British - always bringing confusion to the language.

originally posted by: ketsuko
a reply to: halfoldman

They are probably thinking mince meat which does not have to use animal based suet and is otherwise entirely fruit-based. Because when I look it up, it seems that just mince refers to meat pies and mince meat refers to this raisen, candied fruit, fat, fruit concoction.

Oh yeah, that's right, they used to have suet in them when I was a kid. I'd forgotten that. Fruit and spices and suet.

a reply to: halfoldman

Traditional English mince meat usually included actual meat.

In other countries Mincemeat is a mixture of chopped dried fruit, distilled spirits spices and nuts.

The "meat" part refers to the inside of a nut, known as "meat".

So it's a cultural thing... I haven't seen a mince meat pie or tart in America for a long time that had beef or any other kind of meat in it.

Hope that helped...

No they have a special mince, with green and red glazed cherries.

Some dessert (and I love you my brothers) that only the British could have concocted.

It's like if you chopped up stale old cake with raisins and glazed cherries.

It's like thinking dessert, but making salad.

They're horrible things anyway, lol.

Same as Christmas pudding - it's minging.

I'll be honest though, I do sometimes feel left out, if only we celebrated Christmas with a chocolate sundae instead, I'd be all over that shizzle

Proper mince pies have suet, which is a hard fat from cattle, deer, or lamb/sheep. Vegetarian mince pies presumably don't have such goodness.

In the context of a mince pie, the mincemeat is suet, plus fruit, spices and spirits. It is not the stuff that goes into beefburgers, cottage pies or (er) mince pies.

Your story made me laugh.

Every Englishman alive felt the same confusion at a young age.

It's a small step between today's 'mincemeat' and 'minced meats'.

Why we still call them that, I've no idea. Be hard pressed to find someone who's had the old school meat laced pies. Better described as minced fruit pies.

Just you try to change the name though. Groups would rise up. There'd be riots in the streets. 'Meatheads and Mincers' raging that THEY are trying to steal Christmas.

They ARE yummy though.

a reply to: Painterz

QUICK FRUIT MINCEMEAT
1⁄4 cup melted butter
1⁄3 cup brown sugar
100 g raisins
50 g sultanas
50 g black currants
50 g candied peel
1 granny smith apple, peeled, cored and grated
1⁄3 cup chopped glace cherries
1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon
1⁄2 teaspoon mixed spice
1⁄2 teaspoon nutmeg
25 -50 ml brandy

a reply to: halfoldman

I dont know. I dont like mince pie.

I like pumpkin, apple, lemon meringue, well all of them except mince.

originally posted by: Sillyolme
a reply to: halfoldman

I dont know. I dont like mince pie.

I like pumpkin, apple, lemon meringue, well all of them except mince.

It kind of like Fruit Cake.

a reply to: SeaWorthy

That's a vegetarian recipe as it has no suet.

This is not veggie, and sounds nice... It's more traditional.

250g raisin
375g currant
100ml brandy
zest of 1 lemon
juice of ½ lemon
300g shredded suet
250g dark brown sugar
85g chopped mixed peel
½ small nutmeg grated
1 large Bramley apple peeled and grated

I recall (despite trying not to).

I once had this girlfriend, and the next morning, her mum gives me this faux "mince-pie".

I started to suspect they were just using me as a garbage can for their stale "mince-pies".

I couldn't wait to get out of there.

I'm going to have to admit here, I don't even know what mince is! It's meat apparently? I don't like meat pies. The only thing I want on top of a pie crust is Pumpkin or Pudding.

a reply to: halfoldman
The mince in mince-pie used to be minced-meat. It evolved into something sweeter over the centuries.
Something similar happened to blancmange, which used to include chicken and rice.

a reply to: halfoldman

Of course you can. Mincing is an "action" word. You can mince old underwear, put em between pastry and have non-edible textile pasties or pies.