the verb, needs no explanation. Mince, the noun, has two meanings in Britain: meat which has been put through a mincing machine, or a savoury dish prepared by cooking such mince with water and a little onion and seasoning.
In the USA, the process is usually referred to as grinding, and the product as ground meat; or it may be called ‘hamburger’, referring to the principal use of the result.
Any flesh can be minced, and this can be a convenient way of using the less tender or elegant cuts, and scraps left from cutting large joints. Naturally, the type of meat used depends on the favoured animal of the region; thus beef is especially favoured in Britain and N. America, and mixtures of beef and veal or pork in much of Europe. Lamb is commonly used in the Muslim world.
Mince is relatively cheap, and can be ‘stretched’ by the addition of breadcrumbs, cornmeal, rice, or other grains. Many cuisines have dishes based upon it which reflect their culinary traditions in the use of flavourings and cooking methods. English shepherd's pie is a method for using leftover roast lamb (cottage pie if the meat is beef). For kibbeh in the Middle East minced lamb is usually the main ingredient. The meat used for Middle Eastern mince dishes often has a very smooth texture obtained by prolonged pounding and kneading of the minced meat.
Approaches to the use of mince fall into a small number of categories:
Alan Davidson was a distinguished author and publisher, and one of the world's best-known writers on fish and fish cookery. In 1975 he retired early from the diplomatic service—after serving in, among other places, Washington, Egypt, Tunisia, and Laos, where he was British Ambassador—to pursue a fruitful second career as a food historian and food writer extraordinaire. Among his popular books are Seafood of South-East Asia, North Atlantic Seafood, and Mediterranean Seafood. In 2003, shortly before his death, he was awarded the Erasmus Prize for his contribution to European culture.
