The first mince pie I ever saw sat on a chipped blue plate at the edge of a church supper table in New Hampshire, tucked between apple crisp and plain white rolls. It was dark, almost black at the center, glossy with molasses and spice. Someone beside me whispered, “That’s the real kind,” the way people talk about antiques and rarities.
But long before mince pie became sweet and polite, it was something entirely different—bold, meaty, and tied to survival as much as celebration. The very name tells the story. Mince comes from the Old French mincier, meaning “to chop finely.” The earliest mince pies were not fruit pies at all, but meat pies—minced beef or mutton mixed with dried fruits and spices, baked with sturdy crusts meant to last through winter. Continue reading
