Mincemeat is a mixture of choppe dried fruit, distilled spirits and spices, and sometimes beef suet, beef, or venison. Originally, mincemeat always contained meat. Many modern recipes contain beef suet, though vegetable shortening is sometimes used in its place. Mincemeat, and similar variants are found in the UK, Ireland, Brittany, northern Europe, as well as the United States and Canada. It should not be confused with minced or ground meat.