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According to the Encyclopedia of Food and Culture, the core meaning of the word pie (or piece) in Celtic and later medieval Latin was twofold: a morsel which could be eaten with the fingers and which also contained some type of filling - in short, a pastry envelope. The ease by which these treats could be made in a simple medieval kitchen caused the pie to be an important part of British cooking. Of course, pie is enjoyed all over the world, and its place of origin is most often determined by its shape - from Spanish empanandas to turnovers to, yes, the Pop Tart!
• Like pretty much everything it seems, pie has it’s own day. Created by the American Pie Council, January 23rd has been earmarked National Pie Day (not to be confused with March 14th, also a Pi Day)
• Would it be a true Dietribes without the mention of an eating competition? As far as pie-eating goes, one of the most famous (and the most disastrous) pie-eating contests imaginable has to be the “Complete and Total Barf-A-Rama” from the iconic film Stand By Me.
• For those who can keep their pie to themselves, Patrick Bertoletti is the unequivocal champ. He holds the records for several pie-eating records, including Blueberry Pie (hands-free), Key Lime, Shoo-Fly and Strawberry Rhubarb, each in about 8 minutes. (For more pie records, go here).
• Everything is about fitness and going green these days, so consider using your pie plate for both fun and exercise by recycling it as a frisbee, which is allegedly how the frisbee first came to be (at least, according to Yale).
• Think Yale needs to consume a big ole piece of humble pie? It’s actually more probably umble pie (from “umbles,” or innards of a deer). Umble pie was commonly seen as food of the inferiors, and likely where the phrase originated.
• The first pie chart is credited as appearing in The Statistical Breviary by William Playfair in 1801, but pie charts have come a long way since then.
• This one’s just for fun: Sing a Song of Sixpence (you know, “sing a song of sixpence / a pocket full of rye / four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie”) may actually be a coded pirate message.
So fellow Flossers - what’s your favorite kind of pie? And as always, recipes (especially simple but tasty ones) are always appreciated in the comments! (Although none that include four and twenty blackbirds, please - the price of blackbirds is through the roof these days)
Hungry for more? Venture into the Dietribes archive.
‘Dietribes’ appears every other Wednesday. Food photos taken by Johanna Beyenbach. You might remember that name from our post about her colorful diet.
If “pie” is something that can be eaten with the fingers, then most of the things we call “pies” - apple pie, blueberry pie, key lime pie - aren’t really pies.
posted by Craig on 9-3-2008 at 11:46 am
Yay Pie Day is my birthday!
I love pie almost as much as I love to make it, homemade crust and all. My best yet is strawberry rhubarb…my favorite to eat (and my next challenge)is wild blueberry. Time to get picking! :D
posted by mrs.djs on 9-3-2008 at 11:46 am
Facinating little bit on Sing a Song of Sixpence… I never heard that it was pirate code. Thanks for the link!
posted by Jason! on 9-3-2008 at 12:15 pm
snopes.com/lost/false.asp
posted by Amber on 9-3-2008 at 12:19 pm
You’re probably going to get a lot of posts with sweet dessert pies… let me toss out a savory one. Beerocks (pronounced burr-rooks) are a german meat pie. My family has a really good one with exact measurements and a dough recipe… I’m not gonna post that one because I don’t know it. This is my version.
Beerocks (Jasons! Lazy Version)
Some meat (about 2-3 lbs ground beef or leftover roast will do)
Head of cabbage (cored, washed, and chopped up)
Couple of onions (chopped up… I like yellow)
Salt & Pepper to taste (lots of pepper, I do about 3 tbl!)
Dough (Roll mix, or if you’re really lazy canned biscuit dough)
1) Cook meat. Drain.
2) Cook Onion and Cabbage together. Drain.
3) Mix ‘em together. Make sure they’re drained well, you don’t want soggy pies.
4) Add salt and pepper. Taste and make sure it’s not nasty.
5) Roll a bit of dough or biscuit out into a flat disk. Spoon some mix on it.
6) Seal it up. (The family recipe rolls the edges over into a ball and seals it. I just fold it in half.
7) Bake until done.
8) Eat.
posted by Jason! on 9-3-2008 at 12:48 pm
favorite pie of my childhood was shoo-fly-pie (due to its extreme sticky sweetness). Now I like most every pie.
I’m surprised you didn’t mention the TV show ‘Pushing Daisies’ and it’s shop ‘Pie Hole’
posted by JaneM on 9-3-2008 at 12:56 pm
Jason! - I love bierocks! I rarely run into anyone who is not Mennonite who actually knows what they are. For some reason, although I have lots of recipes for them, I have never attempted to make them. Your recipe makes it sound pretty easy though, so maybe I’ll have to try it!
We always eat them with hot German mustard (made using Coleman’s powdered mustard), which is awesome.
My favorite sweet pie is chocolate pecan pie.
posted by Nikki on 9-3-2008 at 5:43 pm
Jason!
Your meat pies sound like a traditional Upper Pennisula Michigan (Uper) meal called a Pasty (pronounced Past-Tee). I guess they were an easy meal for the miners and loggers in the area. Now they are just a great treat to have when we visit the area (or when my mom decides to make them, which is rare).
posted by Amy on 9-3-2008 at 6:30 pm
@Nikki - Thanks! I’m not Mennonite, but I grew up in a Mennonite community (on the West Coast even!) So I have a lot of German Mennonite recipes I’ve learned over time. I might post the family recipe if I can find it…
Please note the recipe I’ve posted is not a real recipe, it’s just a lazy thing I do. A couple of caveats if replicating it (I’m sure you already know these though)…
1) 3 tbls is a lot of pepper! My wife won’t eat them if I dose them with that much. They should be peppery though, adjust to taste.
2) A little flour on the work surface keeps the dough from sticking to everything. A little water helps the dough seal (I use a water wet finger). Lightly grease whatever they’re baked on.
3) I honestly can never remember the oven temp to cook them at. I think I use a different temp each time. I just figure when the dough is brown, they’re done.
You know… I’m a little disapointed no one else has posted a pie recipe here… :(
posted by Jason! on 9-3-2008 at 6:35 pm
Here is the Best Overall Pie from Portland’s Pie Off.
Tomato Pie Recipe
-5 large tomatoes, peeled, cored and sliced 1/4 inch thick
-1 10-inch pie crust
-1/4 Teaspoon dried basil
-1/2 Cup medium cheddar cheese, shredded
-1/4 Cup mayonnaise
-2 Tablespoons butter
-1 1/2 Large sweet onions, sliced in 1/4 inch rings (Vidalia or Walla Walla sweets work best)
-1 Teaspoon sugar
-1/2 Packet Good Seasons® all-natural Italian Dressing Mix
-1/2 Teaspoon cracked pepper
-Salt to taste
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2) Melt butter in a saute pan and add onions. Cook at medium low for about 30 minutes until carmelized, stirring every few minutes to avoid burning.
3) Lightly salt tomatoes and drain in colander for 20 minutes.
4) Mix cheddar with mayonnaise and 1/4 Teaspoon of the cracked pepper and set aside.
5) Pre-bake pie shell for 10 minutes in 350 degree oven with pie weights to avoid bubbles.
6) Add one layer of tomatoes to pie shell and cover with dash of salt, pepper, sugar and basil. Add the rest of the tomato slices and seasonings in layers.
7) Spread cheese mixture evenly on top of tomatoes.
8) Sprinkle dressing mix on top of cheese.
9) Add carmelized onions to the top of the pie in an even layer.
10) Bake pie at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Cover with foil if the crust begins to burn.
Makes 6-8 servings.
But this is the one I think sounds most interesting…from 10 year old Zoe. She won best mash-up pie at the Pie-Off and I copied it straight from her web site.
For crust
1 graham cracker crumb crust, baked and cooled completely [I used a combination of chocolate graham crackers and some cinnamon graham sticks that my mom bought for a snack & I never ate…!]
For chocolate cream filling
7 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not more than 70% cacao; not unsweetened), finely chopped
1 cup heavy cream
1 large egg, at room temperature for 30 minutes
For marshmallow topping
1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin (from a 1/4-oz package)
1/2 cup cold water
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup [we didn’t have any light corn syrup, so I had to use dark corn syrup instead.]
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
[This didn’t make enough filling to fill the 10-inch pie pan, so I added a layer of mini-marshmallows over the top.]
Make chocolate cream filling:
Make graham cracker crumb crust and reserve.
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Put chocolate in a large bowl. Bring cream just to a boil in a 1- to 1 1/2-quart heavy saucepan, then pour hot cream over chocolate. Let stand 1 minute, then gently whisk until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Gently whisk in egg and a pinch of salt until combined and pour into graham cracker crumb crust (crust will be about half full).
Cover edge of pie with a pie shield or foil and bake until filling is softly set and trembles slightly in center when gently shaken, about 25 minutes. Cool pie to room temperature on a rack (filling will firm as it cools), about 1 hour.
Make marshmallow topping:
Sprinkle gelatin over 1/4 cup cold water in a large deep heatproof bowl and let stand until softened, about 1 minute.
Stir together sugar, corn syrup, a pinch of salt, and remaining 1/4 cup water in cleaned 1- to 1 1/4-quart heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil over moderate heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved, then boil until thermometer registers 260°F, about 6 minutes. [Mom did this part for me.]
Begin beating water and gelatin mixture with an electric mixer at medium speed, then carefully pour in hot syrup in a slow stream, beating (avoid beaters and side of bowl). When all of syrup is added, increase speed to high and continue beating until mixture is tripled in volume and very thick, about 5 minutes. Add vanilla and beat until combined, then immediately spoon topping onto center of pie filling; it will slowly spread to cover top of pie. Chill, uncovered, 1 hour, then cover loosely with lightly oiled plastic wrap (oiled side down) and chill 3 hours more. [We didn’t need plastic wrap or vegetable oil - my mom bought me a pie pan with a lid instead.]
Brown topping:
Preheat broiler.
Transfer pie to a baking sheet. Cover edge of pie with pie shield or foil and broil 3 to 4 inches from heat, rotating pie as necessary, until marshmallow topping is golden brown, about 3 minutes. Cool pie on a rack 10 minutes. Slice pie with a large heavy knife dipped in hot water and then dried with a towel before cutting each slice.
[I topped my pie with crushed up graham cracker crumbs and shaved chocolate after we broiled it.]
posted by Karen on 9-3-2008 at 7:21 pm
Key lime pie is my all-time FAVORITE!!! It’s soooooo yummy, and tarty and sweet! And so easy to make, and everyone loves it!
You can make your own graham cracker crust (don’t ask me for the recipe, I don’t have it) or use a store-bought one like me.
For the filling:
1 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk
3 egg yolks (no whites!! Make yourself a yummy egg-white omelet in the morning)
1/2 cup of key lime juice (I like to use Nellie & Joe’s, as it’s the first I’ve used, and only I can find in Texas)
Mix the ingredients together, and pour into the pie crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Then just chill it in the fridge for a few hours and you have a deliciously yummy pie!
It’s great garnished with key lime rind grates or slices, and whipped cream. I made whipped cream by hand for it once, and boy was it worth it!! I’m supposed to make my boyfriend an apple pie this weekend, but man, I’m really craving key lime pie now!
posted by ChelleBear on 9-4-2008 at 12:12 pm
I just found this in my grandma’s recipe box and it sounds delish!
German Chocolate Cream Pie
1 pkg (4 oz) of chocolate
1/3 cup milk
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 pkg (3 oz) cream cheese, softened
3.5 cups (12 oz) Cool Whip Topping, thawed
8-inch graham cracker crumb crust
Heat chocolate and 2T of milk, stirring until chocolate i melted. Beat sugar into cream cheese; add remaining milk and chocolate mixture and beat until smooth. Fold in Cool Whip. Spoon into crust. Freeze 4 hours or until firm
Enjoy!
posted by Allison Keene on 9-4-2008 at 12:58 pm
The reference to the Medieval kitchen recalled that in those times the cuisine in England was the best in all of Europe. The climate there was a bit different in those times (there were well-regarded vineyards in England) which may have contributed.
posted by kayumochi on 9-4-2008 at 4:04 pm