Forcemeats and Stuffings

Forcemeats and stuffings have always been very important in the highest levels of traditional English cooking. Forcemeat means only ‘forced’ or ‘minced’ meats, and meat here is used as in medieval times to mean food in general. Forcemeat (minced food), therefore, could be used as a stuffing or served separately, usually in small balls. The meat which is stuffed flavours the stuffing, the herbs in the stuffing flavour the meat. The poor housewife would rely on it to eke out the meat and help to fill the hungry children, who got plenty of stuffing but only a small slice of meat.