The mince pie is an English pastry filled with mincemeat, a mix of dried fruit, nuts, spices and a spirit such as brandy. Its origins go back to the medieval period, when it may have been brought back by returning crusaders carrying spices. Early versions contained meat, including beef, mutton and tongue, and were eaten only on feast days because ingredients were costly. Over time it became linked to Christmas. Puritans attacked it during the English Interregnum for its Catholic associations. Later, sugar from the West Indies made it sweeter, and recipes gradually dropped the meat.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.