{"id":88007,"date":"2022-11-21T15:33:11","date_gmt":"2022-11-21T20:33:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.genealogybank.com\/?p=88007"},"modified":"2022-11-22T10:28:38","modified_gmt":"2022-11-22T15:28:38","slug":"thanksgiving-treat-does-your-family-eat-mincemeat-pie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/thanksgiving-treat-does-your-family-eat-mincemeat-pie.html","title":{"rendered":"Thanksgiving Treat: Does Your Family Eat Mincemeat Pie?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction:<\/em><\/strong> In this article, Gena Philibert-Ortega searches old newspapers to find various mincemeat recipes for holiday pies. Gena is a genealogist and author of the book \u201cFrom the Family Kitchen.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

When I was growing up, one of my paternal great-grandmothers would make all the pies for Thanksgiving. Now to be honest, I have no idea what all she made because there\u2019s only one pie I cared about. I seem to think there was a number of fruit pies (apple and cherry) and the best pie, pumpkin.<\/p>\n

But there was also this one pie on the table that I never understood why anyone would eat it. My guess was that maybe some of the older men in the family ate it but no one who was a true pie connoisseur would turn down the best pie (pumpkin) for something with such a curious, non-delectable name. That pie? Mincemeat.<\/p>\n

\"Photo:<\/a>
Photo: homemade mincemeat. Credit: Stuart Caie; Wikimedia Commons.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What Is Mincemeat??<\/strong><\/p>\n

What is mincemeat? A search of John F. Mariani\u2019s Dictionary of American Food and Drink<\/em> for the word \u201cmincemeat\u201d revealed this definition:<\/p>\n

A mixture of chopped fruits, spices, suet, and sometimes meat that is usually baked in a pie crust. The word comes from mince, \u201cto chop finely,\u201d whose own origins are in the Latin, minuere, \u201cto diminish.\u201d \u2026In colonial America these pies were made in the fall and sometimes frozen throughout the winter. (1)<\/p>\n

Mincemeat has long been a tradition that harkens back to England and a way to preserve meat without salting, curing, smoking or drying. (2) However, I think most of us have only heard of it as a filling for pie. If you ask people what mincemeat is, they will either say it\u2019s all fruit or that it\u2019s a combination of meat and fruit. There might even be those who ate mincemeat with just meat. Typically, it\u2019s a dessert pie and not a savory pie like what we would think of as a pot pie (like chicken pot pie). Today, fruit mincemeat filling can be purchased to help make pie making easier.<\/p>\n

Mincemeat Pie Recipes<\/strong><\/p>\n

Is mincemeat a family tradition in your home? Whenever I hear someone talk about it, I instantly think of my great-grandmother. I\u2019m actually sad that I didn\u2019t put the pumpkin pie slice down for a second and at least try that mincemeat. It seems that it is a taste that no one in our family today remembers. If you are like me and need a recipe to continue your family tradition, historical newspapers can help.<\/p>\n

This 1911 food column of mincemeat recipes proclaims that without these \u201cdainties\u201d Christmas and Thanksgiving would be dismal. What surprises me is the different types of mincemeat recipes found here including:<\/p>\n