Pies have always been a tradition and a favorite during holidays, family gatherings or just as an afternoon snack or a weekend picnic. But did you know that a nice and warm pie was not always made for everyone? Historical records indicate that pies were made solely for the rich and the royalty. The rich and the famous in history enjoyed different kinds of meat and fruit pies laden with nuts and honey. But the crust and other unwanted parts were given to the lesser citizens like the servants and the stable boys and such. Goes to show us that even then, the dreaded crust has been notoriously unwanted.
But the love for pie goes way back in history. How far back you ask? Well, just as far back as the Stone Ages. That’s right, at around 6,000 B.C. or the Neolithic period. The Neolithic Period is described by the utilization of stone apparatuses molded by cleaning or granulating, the cultivation of plants and the domestication of animals such as cattle, the foundation of permanent towns, and the beginnings of the art of pottery and weaving. The early types of pies are known as galettes, which are basically provincial freestyle pies. Our precursors loaded these pie-like treats with oat, wheat, rye, and grain, at that point filled them with honey and prepared the dish over the fire.
And around 1200 B.C. the bakers to the pharaohs added nuts, honey and fruits over a dough making a primitive pastry that even the modern tongue can enjoy. These Egyptian pies were so delectable the Egyptians deemed them worthy to have images of them etched in the walls of Ramses ‘II tomb walls located in The Valley of Kings.
The tradition of galettes was carried on by the Greeks. Antiquarians believe that the Greeks really started pie baked pastry as we know it. The pies made amid this period were baked using a flour-water paste wrapped around meat; this served to cook the meat and seal in the flavor and juices inside.
After ancient Greece was conquered by Rome, the legionnaires carried the dish with them back home after tasting them from Greece and found it to their liking. It did not take long before the Roman noble houses incorporated the baking of pie into their meals. The first ever pie recipe that was recorded by the Romans and was for a rye-crusted goat cheese and honey pie.
Fast forward into the middle-ages and the pie has still not lost favor, surviving on the dinner tables of the wealthy and educated of that time. During this time, the people took to naming the pastry “coffyn” as in a casket for the dead. This was so because the pies made that time used the crust merely as a vessel or a container for the meat within it. The crust’s main purpose was to hold the meat together and was too thick and too tough to chew. When the pie was done, its contents were taken out from the crust then the latter was discarded, if not given to the lower servants of the manor or given out to charity.
Then, by the 17-1800’s pioneer women regularly served pies with each dinner, and with that encrusted (pun intended) this baked pastry into the American culture. The dish became the highlight of holiday gatherings, picnics, county fairs and then the rest, they say, is history.
If you want a taste of this authentic American treat we’d have you know that Naples, Florida has some of the tastiest pies that’s being served in specialty shops and some restaurants. Check out our website divinenaples.com to be informed about the best stores out in the city.
