Pair that with the incomparable texture that suet contributes to pie crust as it’s baked with the mincemeat and it’s no wonder that mincemeat pie was a heralded favorite for many centuries in the United Kingdom and then made its way to become a tradition in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Northern Europe, South Africa, and the New England region of the U.S. Many generations ago people would experience mincemeat as a robust and sweet-savory meat-based mixture that conjured up what seemed like a thousand flavor sensations. The Essential Ingredients in Authentic, Old Fashioned Mincemeat This beloved dish of both the common folk and royalty (savored by generations of kings who enjoyed mince pies during their coronations and at their stately tables) sadly has been reduced to something that is a mere vestige, a residue, of what it once was – the spirits of centuries ago hover over what is passed off today as mincemeat while clenching their fists and wailing in agony.
The result of these changes is manifest in the tiny mince pies of today that are almost sickly sweet without the savory meat and suet to round out the flavors and also fairly flat and one-dimensional in flavor profile without the complexity of the savory ingredients. Things like wartime rations on meat, British culinary tastes moving away from sweet-savory combinations, and shifting trends away from the traditional use of suet (read my article on why you should use suet and lard – in short, medical research confirms our ancestors were right after all!) contributed to the gradual moving away from the inclusion of meat and suet in mincemeat. That is largely due to the common omission of mincemeat’s two key ingredients: Meat (traditionally beef or lamb) and suet. Of the many traditional British dishes that have undergone some form of alteration over the years, mincemeat has probably changed the most. Whatever Happened to Traditional Mincemeat?Īnd I say lost, not because it’s been erased completely, rather because mincemeat has changed so much, some of its most important elements having been left out, that it just barely resembles its original ancestor. Sadly the authentic way of making mincemeat has been largely lost in the last century. And that explains why very few people I know actually truly enjoy mincemeat versus simply eating it out of tradition (or being forced to so as not to offend Grandma!). But just wait until you’ve tried this ultimate homemade mincemeat recipe – it’s a total game-changer! Whether you’ve never liked mincemeat or you’ve always loved it, prepare to either be converted or to fall more deeply in love!įew people today know the taste of true, authentic mincemeat, a dish dating back to the 11th century. If you’ve never cared for the store-bought stuff or even most homemade versions, you’re not alone.
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