What is the tradition of eating mince pies?
Why do we eat mince pies at Christmas? Mince pies were originally made to celebrate Jesus. They were oblong in shape to represent the manger that Jesus slept in as a baby and have a ‘pastry baby Jesus’ carved into the pastry. Traditionally one mince pie is eaten for the Twelve days of Christmas.
What is the origin of mince pies at Christmas?
Britain. The ingredients for the modern mince pie can be traced to the return of European crusaders from the Holy Land. Pies were created from such mixtures of sweet and savoury foods; in Tudor England, shrid pies (as they were known then) were formed from shredded meat, suet and dried fruit.
What is the history of mincemeat pie?
Mincemeat originally came about as a good way of preserving meat, without salting, curing, smoking or drying it. In 1413, King Henry V served a mincemeat pie at his coronation. Henry the VII was fond of the meaty Christmas pie as a main dish, filled with minced meat and fruit.
Is it unlucky to eat mince pies before Christmas?
Mince Pie Superstition To stir it anticlockwise is to bring bad luck for the coming year. A wish should be made whilst eating one’s first mince pie of the festive season, and mince pies should always be eaten in silence. It is considered very unlucky to cut a mince pie with a knife.
Why is mincemeat called mincemeat when there’s no meat in it?
Etymology. The “mince” in mincemeat comes from the Middle English mincen, and the Old French mincier both traceable to the Vulgar Latin minutiare, meaning chop finely. The word mincemeat is an adaptation of an earlier term minced meat, meaning finely chopped meat.
Is it illegal to have a mince pie on Christmas Day?
It is illegal to eat mince pies on Christmas Day. No The only Christmas Day on which eating mince pies was illegal was in 1644, as 25 December that year fell on a legally-mandated day of fasting.