I believe "coffin" in this case just means a box. Boxes at that time were often called "coffins" -- you can see this term used to describe, for instance, some embroidered boxes of the period.
Carolyn > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > On Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Thursday, December 13, 2007 8:10 PM > To: Lace-Chat > Subject: [lace-chat] Mince Pies > > According to the Daily Telegraph's online advent calendar > http://tinyurl.com/2bw9cb for 13th December, mince pies were either > coffin shaped or manger shaped with a pastry baby on top prior to 1650. > I can understand the manger bit but can anyone enlighten me as to the > significance of the coffin shape? Sorry if this is an obvious > question! > > Thanks in advance, > > Helen (in wet Vancouver, BC on the west coast of mainland Canada) > > To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: > unsubscribe lace-chat [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to > [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
