ecause they were originally made from mince meat:
A mince pie (sometimes also minced, minced meat, or mincemeat pie) is a British festive sweet pastry, traditionally consumed during the Christmas and...
It is minced-meat made from a game animal - i.e an animal that is either 'wild' or from a 'managed herd'. Game animals include phesants, pigeons, deer, hare, rabbit and grouse. Game mince may be a...