The Cornish Pasty, a meat pie, originated in Cornwall in the 1800s and was a portable meal for miners. The traditional recipe includes minced raw beef, onions, potatoes, and a thick crust. Vegetable additions are considered non-traditional. The pasty inspired the Spanish empanada and shares similarities with Russian piroshki.
A pie is a meat pie thought to have originated in Cornwall, England in the 1800s. Earlier references to pies exist, however, origins are confusing. They are mentioned in the work of Chrétien de Troyes, a 12th century French writer. He was one of the first known writers of the Grail legend to suggest that Percival, not Galahad, was the seeker of the Grail. Shakespeare refers to pasty in three plays, but his most gruesome use of them occurs in the play Titus Andronicus in which the title character forces the mother of Chiron and Demetrius to eat her children, finely ground into a pasty.
The pasty originally from Cornwall, and therefore referred to as Cornish Pasty, was transported to the mines. The miners received some heat from carrying the hot pastry and were given a portable meal, usually still hot due to the thick outer crust. Americans used turnovers or meat pies the same way in the 19th century.
Louisa May Alcott, in her famous book Little Women, describes how Hannah, the maid, would make the apple business to make the older girls work. They served the purpose of keeping hands warm, as the girls were too poor to have muffs, and provided the only dinner the girls received.
The traditional Cornish Pasty contains very specific ingredients. The crust is made from flour, lard, salt and water. The inside contains minced raw beef, salt, pepper, diced onions, potatoes, and occasionally rutabaga. The ingredients are added to a thick rolled crust which is then folded over, pinched and may have an egg wash to aid in browning during the cooking process. The formed pastry is typically baked for about 15 minutes in a 400°F (204.44°C) oven. The temperature is then reduced to 350°F (176.67°C) and the pastry continues to cook until fully browned, about 15 to 20 minutes longer in a conventional oven.
Some food historians suggest that the miners, due to their poverty, may have added more vegetables as meat was too expensive. Today, vegetable additions such as carrots in traditional Cornish pate are thought to indicate an inferior product. However, many love veggie patties, which can include mushrooms, summer squash, and other veggies and are made with a margarine or butter crust.
Pastas made today often replace ground beef with minced meat. Again this is considered non-traditional, but is often served in American restaurants offering pub food or Irish cuisine. The pie may be drizzled with ketchup or it may be served with a rich brown gravy, often desirable, as the inside of the pie is not very moist.
The pasty is thought to be the inspiration for the Spanish or Latin empanada. Empanadas are differentiated by the addition of cumin, sometimes raisins, and are sometimes fried rather than baked. Pates also share similarities to piroshki, although Russian-origin piroshki are usually covered with yeast dough rather than a flaky pastry crust.
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