Mince pies are an iconic Christmas treat enjoyed by many every year, but their name is a bit of a misnomer.
The pastry parcels are filled to the brim with sweet sultanas, mixed with citrus and spices that get fans into the festive spirit. Some enjoy them cold, while others like to heat them and serve with a dollop of cream or brandy butter.
Despite their popularity, there are some people who are just now learning that the sweet treats don't actually contain meat. One rather confused person took to the internet to share their struggle as they believed they were part of a conspiracy.
Posting to a Reddit forum, user Vril_Maiden wrote: "I went my entire life without eating mince pies because I thought there was meat in them."
For the puzzled social media user, it seemed no one took the time to explain exactly what mince pies contain.
They continued to wonder: "Is the entire planet in on the same joke ? Why does everybody say there is mince in them ?
"Whenever you ask somebody why they're eating that or what is in them they will all look at you with this blank stare as if you're slow and say, "mince" in the same tone as if to suggest, 'How could you not know this moron, its mince. There's mince in it.'"
The user added: "Is this a collective inside joke that old people do to wind up kids or something ? And now that I look back, I can see that everybody seems to actively tried to avoid telling me what was in it but instead they were actively trying to lead me astray and to believe there was mince in it."
As it turns out, the treats once featured dried fruit as well as finely "minced" meat like lamb or mutton and preserved in a fruit juice mixture, which acted as a preservative.
Mincemeat pies were first served in the early middle ages and contained 13 ingredients to symbolise Jesus and his disciples, according to Historic UK.
While it is hard to say when exactly when the meat left mince pies, it is likely that it was phased out as food preservation techniques improved. Today, the pies are mainly filled with sweeter ingredients.
Others responded admitting that they had also shared the same thought at one time or another, before coming to the realisation.
"I thought the same until last year. You are not alone," confessed one comment, while another said: "Same here! Never touched them, as I used to think it was actual meat, they don't look or smell very nice, won't try it."
However, most commenters were shocked that people still thought this. One person asked: "Did you never see the mince pies with icing on and not question why people would be eating a minced meat pie with icing on it?"
One person pointed out to the original poster: "I mean.... You could just read the ingredients on the box if you weren't sure?" But they sheepishly responded: "I was sure... everyone I ever knew told me there was mince meat in it."
Another joked: "Does the OP (original poster) know about that Internet thing, where you can look things up to find out about them? "Or maybe also, they didn't know about asking people about what's in the mince pie or perhaps, just cut one open and look for themselves?"
With their history, more compassionate readers were quick to understand why this mix up could occur. One defending post pointed out: "You do know there is a mince pie with meat in and a 'Christmas' mince pie that has fruit in yeah?
"I can see why there's confusion but people shouldn't comment on you not knowing the difference, s*** happens."
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