It took me a little while to learn to love mince pies, but once I’d developed a taste for them, there was no going back. I love their fruity, jammy insides packed with plump raisins ― but I’ve never quite understood how they got their name. After all, I told myself, “mincemeat” (the dried fruit and candied peel-filled preserve the pies contain) is neither minced nor a form of meat. But looking at the history of the word, it seems I had a horrifying lesson to learn. Oh dear...Yep, I’m afraid it’s exactly as you might have thought. Originally, mince pies contained real meat, Historic UK’s site reads. Back in Tudor times, the desserts were rectangular rather than circular. They would often have a sought replica of the baby Jesus on their lids, too, a little reminiscent of a manger. They contained 13 ingredients to represent the birthday boy himself (AKA Jesus) and his 12 disciples. Traditional Christmas pudding recipes followed this rule too. Among those ingredients were raisins, prunes, figs, cinnamon, clove and minced lamb or mutton.