Pie! During this season of Thanksgiving, most will agree that pie is the dessert of choice. Apple, cherry, pumpkin or sweet potato or an elaborate Royal Macadamia Raspberry Pie (Best in Show by an amateur, Phyllis Syzmanek, at the Crisco National Pie Championship, as reported on the American Pie Council website), everyone will be happy with pie.
Did you know that as early as 1300 B.C., Egyptians were making a primitive pie dough? The Greeks mixed flour and water to wrap and preserve meat. Romans made pies with oysters and other shellfish. The first written recipe for pie came from Cato the Censor, for a goat cheese and honey pie.
English pastries came along in the 1500’s, filled with pears, quinces and apples. Queen Elizabeth I may have made the first cherry pie. Pilgrims brought the idea of pie on the Mayflower. Settlers heading west made pies filled with foodstuffs found along their route. As a result of these adventurers, pie has made its way across our great country.
There are cobblers, crisps, tarts, single crust, double crust, turnovers, pasties, empanadas, pizza, quesadillas, a pie for every culture, every taste, every course of a meal. The American Pie Council website has a wealth of information and recipes, all about pie.
Here at Buckland Farm Market, an informal survey found Sour Cherry to be Sherry Lynn’s best seller, with Apple a very close second. Still others chose her Lemon Blueberry, Peach Melba and all the other pies in her menu.
Our freezer holds a selection of savory pies: tomato, broccoli and cheese, mushroom and onion, potato and pea. Pop one into a 400 degree oven for 50 to 55 minutes (from frozen), make a salad, and you have a delicious meal. A relish from our “jar wall” makes an unexpected garnish for the pie.
Savory or sweet; main dish or dessert, there’s a pie to please every palate. What’s your favorite?
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