Chemistry body restores long-lost meat to the Christmas Mince Pie :: General Science

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December 17, 2004

Chemistry body restores long-lost meat to the Christmas Mince Pie

Well, it is Christmas season, and that means it's time to share in the joys of giving, being with family, reflecting on our faith (all of us), thanking God for making it through another year - and food. The folowing article addresses the food aspect in typical British fashion, the "proper way."

The article is a couple of days old but in this case substance is far more important than timeliness.

The modern mince pie is a fraud about to be unmasked the by Royal Society of Chemistry.

The passing of time and a sweet-toothed world robbed the great English minced meat pie of its meat - until the Royal Society of Chemistry unearthed last month a 350-year-old recipe and set about breathing life back into a dead tradition.

The Piccadilly-based Society will, on Monday 13 December, unveil the results of an exercise by which a real minced meat pie of the year 1648 was recreated in its original glory conjoining the flavours of beef, cloves, mace, dates, currants, orange peel, and raisins in a remarkable mixture until now lost to the British palate.

The recreation has been named The Sir Robert Boyle Minced Meat Pie in honour of the Father of Chemistry who came of age in 1648, and whose family established Piccadilly's Burlington House, today home to the Royal Society of Chemistry and a group of other Learned Societies including The Royal Academy.

An original bust of the great chemist stands in the lobby of the society and it is there that the first bite will be taken to reveal a genuine taste of the England of Oliver Cromwell.

The RSC will carve the reborn 17th century minced meat pie under the marbled gaze of periwig-wearing Sir Robert to disclose an aroma which would have been familiar to him and to his contemporaries living in the turbulent times of the English civil war.

There are no available images of this pie, I'm sorry to report. Continue reading in RSC Press Releases...

IMPORTANT UPDATE - Now have image of Professor and pie!