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National Mincemeat Day

Food · October 26

A day for mincemeat, the spiced mix of dried fruit, suet and sometimes meat that fills old-fashioned pies and tarts.

National Mincemeat Day falls on Tuesday, October 26, 2027. That is 364 days away.

Mincemeat is a thick, dark filling made from chopped dried fruit, apples, sugar and warm spices, usually bound with suet. Older recipes include actual minced meat, often beef. Many modern jars leave the meat out entirely, which explains the name and the mild confusion it causes at dessert tables.

The flavor sits somewhere between fruitcake and spiced jam. Raisins and currants give it chew, citrus peel adds a bitter edge, and cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves do most of the talking. Some cooks stir in brandy or rum, which helps the mix keep and deepens the taste as it rests.

Most people meet mincemeat in a pie. A full double-crust pie is the traditional form, but small tarts are common too, since a little goes a long way. It also turns up spooned over ice cream, folded into bar cookies, or baked inside apples.

Homemade mincemeat is usually made ahead and left to mellow for a while before baking. Jarred versions skip the wait and vary a lot, so reading the label tells you whether there is meat, suet or alcohol inside. A vegetarian suet or butter works in place of the traditional fat.

A warm slice with a spoonful of cream or a sharp piece of cheddar beside it is the classic way to eat it.

Ways to celebrate

• Bake a batch of small mincemeat tarts to share.
• Try mincemeat spooned over vanilla ice cream.
• Ask an older relative for a family mincemeat recipe.
• Compare a jarred mincemeat with a simple homemade mix.
• Serve mincemeat pie with a slice of sharp cheddar.

Dates

All national days on October 26

Also on October 26

• National Pumpkin Day
• National Mule Day
• Worldwide Howl at the Moon Night

Categories: Food days