the ingredients for the modern mince pie can be traced to the return of european crusaders from the holy land. middle eastern methods of cooking, which sometimes combined meats, fruits and spices, were popular at the time. pies were created from such mixtures of sweet and savoury foods; in tudor england, shrid pies (as they were known then) were formed from shredded meat, suet and dried fruit. the addition of spices such as cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg was "in token of the offerings of the eastern magi".