over in Q & A, AnnaS ask if mincemeat has meat in it.
the answer is yes and no... nowdays, most mincemeat does not have meat in it, but it still often contains suet, (ground beef fat) and fruits and nuts.
in the past, mince meat was a way of extending meat... ground meat, (sometimes almost rancid) was mixed with fruits and nuts (meats) spices, salt and sugar (of somesort) to hide the off taste and fat to make a 'meat'.
mincemeat, like rarebit (or welsh rabbit--something that has been done to death here!) it a case of a name sounding more meaty than the actual procuct.
but when poor peasants were not likely to see meat more than once or twice a year, mince meat was a good excuse for a main course.
just as today, we have veggie burgers (that have no meat) many dishes of the past had no or little meat, but meaty names.
in Pennsylvania area, frugal housewifes make scrapple- ground corn meal with bits of ground meat, (and lots of fat) to make something like a breakfast sausage. i suspect, they did something similar back home in germany or eastern europe-- scrapple doesn't have a meat name...
i can't think of other foods with misleading names.. but i am sure there are plenty.
OP
