>mince meat is ground beef???? So mince meat pie is nothing but 'hash' in a
>pie shell?????
 
Mincemeat is a term used to refer to lots of different things.  Mincemeat
pie is usually filled with raisins, apples, lemon/orange rind, currants, nut
meats and suet (animal fat).  But, some mincemeat pies have just apples,
raisins, currants and ground nut meat and a whole lot of oil.  Mincemeat can
refer also to ground beef or other meat mixed with fruits.  When people
began preserving meats by canning them they would find that there was less
chance of spoiling when the acid level of the meat was increased.  So they
added fruits to them.  I think some people also use the word mincemeat when
they really mean minced meat - which is simply ground-up meat.
 
I served an all vegetarian Thanksgiving dinner this year to about 20 people.
I bought a mincemeat pie at a bakery to serve (I always thought mincemeat
meant nut meats and raisins). But - DID I CATCH HECK! I ended up calling the
bakery the next week to get the ingredients and they didn't put suet in
their recipe. But, then everytime I see something called mincemeat I look at
the ingredients just to see. Most is fruit with meat or suet in it. You'll
find canned mincemeat in any decent grocery store in the baking isle near
the dried fruits.
 
Hope all is well with you!
[Posted in FML issue 1530]