Stonehenge builders may have feasted on Neolithic mince pies!
Evidence suggests an early version of the tasty treat possibly created
Last updated 1st Dec 2021
Whilst the origin of mince pies can be traced back as far as the medieval period, with recipes varying from meat to sweet rich version we vary today, new evidence suggests they may have been around a lot longer.
Excavations at Durrington Walls, the settlement inhabited by the builders of Stonehenge in about 2,500 BC, suggest the ingredients for an early version of the tasty treat were gathered and used by them.
Those response for the famous monument were already eating pork, beef and dairy but now archaeologists have also found evidence for the collecting and cooking of hazelnuts, sloes and crab apples, and other fruit.
Remnants of charred plant remains have led researchers to suggest that recipes may have been followed to help preserve and make foods palatable.
Susan Greaney, English Heritage Senior Properties Historian, said:
"We know that midwinter and feasting were really important to the builders of Stonehenge and thanks to the Stonehenge Riverside Project, we’re lucky to have evidence which tells us that they had access to nutritious fruit and nuts and that they may even have made and cooked recipes.
"Adding meat fats to hazelnuts and fruit would have made a great energy bar, full of calories. Such foods might have been eaten for celebration as well as sustenance, with the sharing of food helping the community to bond, encouraging people to travel from far and wide to help build Stonehenge.
"We’ll never know for certain what recipes they favoured, but it’s fun to imagine travellers being greeted with a tray of mince pies!"
While there is no direct evidence for pastry, people at the time knew how to grow cereal crops and they could have made pastry from wheat, hazelnut or even acorn flour.
Neolithic 'mince pies' could have been baked using a flat stone or ceramic pot heated in the embers of a fire, rather like a Welsh cake.
English Heritage volunteers will be baking Neolithic mince pies around the hearth in the Neolithic Houses at Stonehenge every Monday in December, and mince pies inspired by the period will be on the menu in the café
Make your own version using a recipe by English Heritage:
Ingredients:
For the pastry:
- 2 handfuls of emmer flour
- ½ handful of hazelnut flour
- Knob of lard
- A few drops of water
For the filling:
- Four crab apples or small sour apples
- A few blackberries
- A few sloes
- A spoonful of pureed rose hips
- A spoonful of honey
Plus:
- A handful of whole berries
- A couple of crushed hazelnuts
For the decoration:
- Some linseeds and a drizzle of honey for the tops
Method:
- Preheat your oven to 210 degrees c electric /190 degrees fan/gas mark 5. Cut up your compote filling ingredients and put them in a saucepan on medium heat, stew until tender
- Mix the flours with the lard and a few drops of water until you have a firm dough
- Create 6 circles for the pie bottoms, and 6 slightly smaller circles for the tops. Place the bases into cases in a muffin tin and spoon in cooked compote
- Take lids and brush one side with water and place water-side down, pressing the edges to seal
- Once all of the lids are on, brush their tops with water and sprinkle with Sprinkle tops with honey, linseeds and crushed hazelnuts
- Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown and firm to the touch
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