January 23rd Is National Pie Day, A Time To Celebrate The Day With PIE. Which Pie Should You Choose For Your National Pie Day Party? The Pie-Sibilities Are Endless! Will It Be One Of The 231 Varieties Of Apple Pie, The Favorite Of 36 Million Americans? Perhaps Pumpkin Pie, Which Was First Introduced To The Holiday Table At The Pilgrim’s Second Thanksgiving In 1623? Or Maybe A Pecan Pie, Which Is The Third Most Popular Choice In Our Nation Of Pie Lovers? We Are Encouraging Pie Lovers Everywhere To Host Pie Parties Across The Country. Whether It Be With Your Friends, Family Or Co-Workers, Share Some Pie On January 23rd.
~American Pie Council
National Pie Day was born in 1975 in Boulder, Colorado, thanks to a school teacher named Charlie Papazian. On January 23, his birthday, he declared that this day would be forever remembered as National Pie Day. Why did he do that, you ask? Well, for one good reason: Charlie really loved pie. In fact, he loved it so much he would have a “birthday pie” instead of a birthday cake. Since then, his idea for a National Pie Day has spread all over the United States.
A Slice of Pie History
Pie has been around since the ancient Egyptians. The first pies were made by early Romans who may have learned about it through the Greeks. These pies were sometimes made in “reeds” which were used for the sole purpose of holding the filling and not for eating with the filling.
The Romans must have spread the word about pies around Europe as the Oxford English Dictionary notes that the word pie was a popular word in the 14th century. The first pie recipe was published by the Romans and was for a rye-crusted goat cheese and honey pie.
The early pies were predominately meat pies. Pyes (pies) originally appeared in England as early as the twelfth century. The crust of the pie was referred to as “coffyn”. There was actually more crust than filling. Often these pies were made using fowl and the legs were left to hang over the side of the dish and used as handles. Fruit pies or tarts (pasties) were probably first made in the 1500s. English tradition credits making the first cherry pie to Queen Elizabeth I.
Pie came to America with the first English settlers. The early colonists cooked their pies in long narrow pans calling them “coffins” like the crust in England. As in the Roman times, the early American pie crusts often were not eaten, but simply designed to hold the filling during baking. It was during the American Revolution that the term crust was used instead of coffyn.
Pumpkin pie was first introduced to the holiday table at the pilgrim’s second Thanksgiving in 1623.
Over the years, pie has evolved to become what it is today “the most traditional American dessert”. Pie has become so much a part of American culture throughout the years, that we now commonly use the term “as American as apple pie.”
Pie was not always America’s favorite dessert – in the 19th Century, fruit pies were a common breakfast food eaten before the start of a long day.
Official State Pie of Florida
Key lime pie was designated the official state pie of Florida in 2006. All State Foods
Key limes are smaller and more perishable, but also more tart and aromatic than the common Persian limes seen year-round in most U.S. grocery stores.
Key lime pie is a dessert made from the juice of Key limes (naturalized throughout the Florida Keys), egg yolks, and canned sweetened condensed milk. The pie is usually topped with golden brown meringue or whipped cream. The filling of Key lime pie is yellow rather than green (the juice of Key limes is pale yellow and of course the egg yolks are yellow as well). Traditional cooks frown on the practice of adding food coloring to give the pie a green color.