27 Mouth-Watering Facts About Pie That You Haven't Heard Before

Pie has its origin traced back to 6000 BC.

People celebrate an annual pie festival in New Mexico town called Pie Town every September. Pie-making contests are also held here during that time.

Early pies were mostly meat pies. As the demand grew, variations in pie-making grew and baked varieties of pies in both sweet and savory forms became available. Since the 12th-century, pie has been the most sought-after dish. The crispness of the crust makes the pie taste Yummy.

History Of Pies

The Greeks were said to have made their first best pies and later taught the Romans how to make a pie. The Greek letter pi in mathematics is pronounced in English as pie. In the beginning, pies were perhaps made in 'reeds' to hold the filling and not consume it.

In the beginning, pies appeared in England as early as the 12th century. The pie crust was called 'coffyn,' which consisted of more crust than filling.

The beginning of mince pies can be traced back to the medieval period, with changes from meat-based savory to the sweet, rich versions that started pouring in.

The pie was brought to America by early settlers. 

Americans made a particular pie using fowl and the legs hanging on the side like handles. 

Fruit pies were probably made in 1500s. 

English people had a tradition of giving the first cherry pie to Queen Elizabeth 1. 

Pie is so much a part of the American culture that pie is commonly known 'as American as Apple Pie.'

Types: Savory, Sweet

There is no doubt that pie is an amazing dessert! There are mainly four varieties of pie, namely, cream, fruit, custard, and savory ingredients. To sum up, there are more than 450 pies of different varieties.

The basis for the best sweet or savory ingredients in pie-making is crusts and their fillings.

Pie facts of sweet pies include a variety of dishes that have a 'pastry shell with lining and a set filling.'

The pizza pie is a rare one with a flat, open-faced baked pie consisting of a thin layer of bread dough topped with spicy tomato sauce and cheese. It's of Italian origin, and mostly they are garnished with sausages, mushrooms, anchovies, and salami.

A pie made of cooked meat, seafood, poultry, or veggies in a thick sauce is called the shepherd's pie, pot pie, and quiché. 

 From the expensive pie, the Boston cream ones, to cost-effective pumpkin ones, there's one for everyone's taste. Apple pie is the most sought-after pie in western countries.

Some of the varieties of less expensive pies are apple, pumpkin, warden pie, cherry, the Boston cream pies, lemon meringue, and much more mouth-watering recipes to celebrate with family and friends.

Mince pies were banned in 17th century by Oliver Cromwell for religious reasons. The premium beef pies and the mince ones are the most preferred among the savory pies. Young and old, especially kids, love pie dishes!

Regional Variations

There have been umpteen variations in pie facts regionally since the Neolithic period. As it's a favorite dish of almost all countries, it's made with the availability of locally grown veggies and available meat ingredients.

In the US, mainly in the English settlers in Louisiana, Natchitoches meat pie is one of their official state foods.

In Latin America, pasties of different fillings and pastry shells are used, and they may be baked or fried. 

Diced steak, mashed beef with olives, egg fried, pork stripped, even grated cheese, and salami is used in Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Puerto Rico, and Peru.

In Australia, pie includes Irish meat pie which is steak.

Another pie in Australia is Guinness pie made up of round steak with Guinness stout beer, onions, and bacon served with potato chips and vegetables.

In the Middle East, 'meat pies' contain ground beef, olive oil, plain yogurt, allspice, onion, tomatoes, and pine nuts.

Indian meat pies are mostly samosas and usually contain ground beef or chicken.

In veggie samosas, lentils, coriander, spiced potatoes, and peas are used and often served with dips, sauces, and chutney.

In Popular Culture: Pie Throwing

Pie throwing humiliates the victim while avoiding injury. Pie used for this purpose was traditionally made of soft cream without a crust. In Britain, custard pie with whipped cream was used. Sometimes shaving foam was also being used. It is considered a harmless joke. In schools, its mostly a fundraising event for charity.

Pie-throwing began in the early years of 1712 and was started by Director Mack Sennett, but later in 1900, it caught the studios ablaze!

For a century or more, flinging a pie into someone’s face has been a comedy figure in silent films. Keystone studio was once boasted as a comedy innovator and had a hand in making pie-throwing omnipresent.

As history reveals, many comedy artists, Charlie Chaplin, Stan Wolnic, Laurel and Hardy, and the Three Stooges have played the pie-throwing game. A pleasant, simple form of humor. 

The ones used by the Keystone studios were a special movable version of the pie, with rich pastry and especially slurry custard.

As pie-throwing fights in silent films grew fancier, special bakeries to make these pies were grooming up. 

Keystone’s big stars, Fatty Arbuckle and Mabel Normand excelled in pie-throwing. Slowly after 1927, this practice faded away in films.

FAQs

Q: What was the first pie ever made?

A: The first pie ever made was the beef pie in England in the 12th century; the crust was called 'coffyn.'

Q: Why is pie called pie?

A: Pie got its name from the bird,' Magpie', the old French word Pica for a bird morphed to pie.

Q: Who created pie?

A: The Ancient Egyptians created pie.

Q: What is the biggest pie ever made?

A: The' Pumpkin Pie' is the biggest pie ever made in 2010 by New Bremen Pumpkin growers, 20 ft (6.09 m) long and 3,699 lb (1677.8 kg).

Q: What is the most popular type of pie?

A: The most popular type of pie is the 'Apple Pie.'

Q: What is the most popular pie eaten on Thanksgiving?

A: The Pumpkin Pie is the most popular pie eaten on Thanksgiving.

Q: What is the biggest apple pie?

A: Big Apple Town baked the biggest Apple pie weighing 34,438 lb (15,620 kg).

Q: What is the smallest apple in the world?

A :The' Tiddly Pomme 'is the smallest apple in the world.

Q: Where was the first pie made?

A: The first pie was made in England in the 12th century.