The 10 best and worst pies that Thanksgiving has to offer

Lemon meringue pie, pictured, Friday, May 1, 2020, at OTR Chili on Elm Street in Cincinnati.Otr Chili
Lemon meringue pie, pictured, Friday, May 1, 2020, at OTR Chili on Elm Street in Cincinnati.Otr Chili /
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mincemeat pie
WELLS, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 22: Mince pies wait to be eaten as competitors prepare for the Wookey Hole Big Eat competition on November 22, 2011, in Wells, England. Mike, along with fellow joint winner Lee Palmer, ate 19 mince pies in ten minutes. The annual competition sees handpicked competitors, eating professionals, and members of the public, attempting to eat as many mince pies as possible in the space of 10 minutes for a prize of 1000GBP and the chance to compete in one of the biggest speed eating events of the year in the United States. (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images) /

Mincemeat Pie should be given to the dogs so they can be a part of the Thanksgiving holiday.

I was going to break this all up into two pies per slide but honestly, the best and worst deserve their own. We start with the Mincemeat pie which is actually one of the most historic pies in the world.

Dating back to the Tudor monarchy, the mince pie, or mutton pie as it was originally called is a combination of dried fruits, exotic spices, cinnamon, and yes, minced meat products. The pies traditionally included the fatty meat called Suet that surrounded the kidney of the cow.

The pie has evolved over hundreds of years. It was brought to the Americas by the Puritan Pilgrims in 1620 and was considered a staple for early Thanksgiving feasts because the “Christmas Pie” wasn’t a fit for the Puritan immigrants who didn’t celebrate Christmas.

Now, most mincemeat pies don’t contain minced meat. They are stuffed with apples, dried fruits, sugar,  more sugar, and seasonings. Still, traditional mincemeat pies are easy to find and sometimes make their way onto a Thanksgiving table where it should stay, untouched and leftover for whoever made it to eat later. At least now you know what they were eating when you rewatch Game of Thrones!