What’s your favorite pie for Thanksgiving? As loyal readers (I won’t name names) of this blog know, I take a slightly (understatement) nerdy approach to my posts. So, before answering the question, we should define the various types of pie, their components, and review some pie history. Relax, if a few hundred words are too much for you, just skip to the end to find the map.
What is a Pie?
According to Webster’s dictionary (my go-to for definitions), a pie is a pastry-lined baked food that includes a filling. Fillings vary based on the pie’s function within a meal. Pies that are meant to be served as meals typically include a protein source. A quiche with eggs and cheese for breakfast, or steak pie for dinner. Adding vegetables to a dinner pie creates a pot pie. These types of pies are often grouped together as savory pies. Sweet pies, which include fruit, custard, chocolate, and other sweet fillings, form a second type of pie. As with savory pies, the filling is spread over a crust. Sweet pies can be open-faced, e.g., pecan pie, capped with cream, e.g., lemon meringue, or crust-covered, e.g., classic apple pie.
History of Pie
Pies or their antecedents (nice word, eh?) date to antiquity. While the creator of the first pie is lost to history, archeologists have unearthed evidence of early pies. A more than 4,000-year-old Sumerian cuneiform tablet contains the oldest known recipe for chicken pie. The tomb of Ramesses II, whose 66-year reign (1279-1213 BC) ushered in an Egyptian golden age, includes depictions of dessert pies. Cookbooks from the late Roman Republic feature recipes for savory and dessert pies, including variations that are like modern cheesecake. One difference in pies through the late Medieval era was that their crusts were often inedible. Made from coarse grains such as rye, the crusts served primarily as a baking dish for the filling. Some etymologists believe this characteristic gave birth to the name pot pie.
Rise of Dessert Pies
The effects of European exploration and exploitation of the New World impacted all humanity. While paling in comparison to war, plagues, and the slave trade, this era also changed pie-making. The introduction of lower-cost sugar spurred the use of fruit in pies. Coupled with changes to flakier, more edible crusts, these pies were the first to closely resemble modern dessert pies. Over the next several hundred years, food trends, health concerns, and even women joining the workforce reduced the popularity of pies. Instead of a weekly staple, pies transitioned to a special treat associated with dining out and traditional holiday meals.
Our Featured Map
Today’s map compiled from Google searches for specific pie types in each state.
So what is your favorite pie? I’m going to cheat a bit with my answer. My favorite fruit pie is traditional apple with vanilla ice cream. Of the other dessert pies, I’ve always been partial to lemon meringue.
As always, thanks for reading.
Armen
Note to pay the bills
Penny Preston and the Raven’s Talisman, book #1 in the Misaligned series includes an early pie-like dessert from Mesopotamia. If you’re interested in a PG-rated story that seeks to answer the question, ‘What happens at the intersection of String Theory & Arthurian Myth’, check out a summary of the series here or find links to purchase books here.
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