This British Pie Week (2nd to 8th March) we’re looking at the history of one of Britain’s favourite foods.
Shining a spotlight on the best pies across the country, British Pie Week champions everything from our local bakery’s best kept secret to top-tier pie makers and home baker creations that all belong in the pie hall of fame. This week is an excuse to enjoy as many pies as possible, try new flavours, and support the businesses that keep the delicious tradition alive. But where did it all begin?
The Ancient Egyptians were the first to invent a dish close to what we know as pie today – they had a honey filling covered in a crusty cake made from oats, wheat, rye, or barley. A recipe for a chicken pie was also discovered on a tablet that was carved prior to 2000 BC. The Ancient Greeks were believed to invent pie pastry, and the Romans took the concept of pies even further, making pastry from flour, oil, and water to cover up meat. This was intended to preserve the flavour and juices of the filling and was not intended to be eaten.
Since the beginning of the 13th century, pies have been part of England’s culinary repertoire. It might not sound very appetising, but the contents of medieval pies were placed in pre-cooked ‘coffyns’ (coffin as we’d know it today) made from a paste of flour and water. If fowl was your choice of filling, it often came with its legs dangling over the sides as it supposedly made it easier to pick the pie up and dive in!
Medieval cooks would try to outdo each other as pies became the centrepiece of exclusive banquets. Anything would be baked into them which would impress as the pastry lid was removed to reveal the filling. Sometimes this would even include live actors reciting poetry (safely hidden inside once the baking process had finished) or even a band of musicians! Similarly to the Romans, these pie crusts were disposable vessels that weren’t designed to be eaten by the lords and ladies or their guests. However, once the contents had been eaten, the coffyns may have been given to the poor or to dogs to eat. By the 16th century, cooks were adding fat such as butter or lard to their pastry, making it as tasty as it was practical.
Throughout history, pies have proved popular for gifting and celebrations. In the 16th and 17th centuries, ‘bride pies’ were the predecessors of the wedding cakes we see at weddings today. A popular gift at festive times contained a boned turkey stuffed with a goose, chicken, partridge, and pigeon and was padded out with more wild game. In the mid-18th century, culinary Author Hannah Glasse advised her readers that the walls of this mammoth pie should ‘be well built’ to ensure that it would travel well, as many were sent to London as presents.
It’s not just at the football where you’ll find a range of pies, specialist pie eateries have popped up around our high streets. Even Sephardi Jews are in on the act, the pastel (a flaky meat pie with spiced ground beef, often topped with sesame seeds) is a popular addition for Shabbat.
We may have moved on from grand, multi-bird pies but modern pie makers are constantly creating new fillings to entice customers. Recent additions to the local market have included the cheeseburger pie, chip shop chicken curry pie, and a whole variety of vegetarian and vegan options, proving that you can put pretty much anything into a pie if there’s somebody willing to eat it!
Get involved at British-pie-week.co.uk
