In my house, growing up, a birthday meant you could have whatever you wanted to eat for dinner. My brother and I both went through a pie stage where we preferred pie to having a birthday cake. Tom loved rhubarb pie. He would eat maybe two or three pieces of his pie which would include the piece that I might have eaten but didn’t because, I did not like rhubarb pie. I loved raspberry pie. Unfortunately Tom enjoyed raspberry pie too. Every year he would oink out on his pie, and then oink out out on my pie as well. Typical siblings… This scenario worked very well for Tom. At some point though, I decided I didn’t like it.
Remember some time back, I said that when it “gets to me” and I can’t take it anymore, I cheat dirty. So Tom’s birthday rolls around. Mom makes his rhubarb pie. She cuts his piece first and serves it to him. And, I announce that I think I would like to try a nice big piece of delicious rhubarb pie! Well, my brother immediately says, “She’s just doing this because I eat her raspberry pie!” (He has me dead to rights. It is why I’m doing it.) But Mom cut me a nice big piece, and told Tom that I had a right to have a piece if I wanted it. He sat there watching me smile my way through every bit, which I hated but choked down with grace and distinction. (“Mom this is delicious. I don’t know why I didn’t like it. I think I’ll have rhubarb pie all the time now.” Liar liar pants on fire!) I don’t think Tom even enjoyed his two pieces at all. The thought of sharing his pie, from then on was very painful, much to my delight. I, however, celebrated his birthday with great joy that year.
One kind of pie that Tom and I agreed we both liked was apple pie. This is a pie that has been around for a very long time. England can date the apple pie back to the time of Chaucer. The 1381 recipe lists these ingredients: “good apples, good spices, figs, raisins, and pears. The ‘cofyn’ of the recipe shall be a pastry. Saffron shall be used to color the filling.” Note the absence of sugar. (Modern recipes add one to two ounces of sugar.)
There are two reasons why we do not find sugar in the early recipe of apple pie. Sugar cane was not natural to England. In the 14th century it was imported, but not used by the masses because of the expense; in American terms, it cost fifty dollars a pound. Second, even when sugar was introduced, the masses could have used honey to substitute, but the English were reticent to change an age-old recipe. In the 18th century, recipes of apple pie began to show up in the newspapers, and this seems to have caused a shift in the English preparation of the recipe.
Other countries liked the idea of apple pie, but have no history of it dating as far back as the English history. These Europeans put their own twist on the recipe. The Dutch loved to add sweeteners to the
Here’s my question: How did we get the apple pie to America? When we recall all of the sayings that relate our country to this pie (one being, WWII, “why are you going to war” and the answer was said to have been, “For mom and Apple pie”), one would think it was a staple form day one of our country. But no, it was not.
Apple trees were not indigenous to this country. Because apples do not come true from seeds, pips had to be carefully prepared and brought in barrels across the Atlantic. When the apple preparation was at last orchards in America, for many years the only thing they were used for was to make cider. During the 18th century, the American apple translated itself into apple pie. And, we didn’t just take the English recipe. In true American form, we serve up every single one of the fore said recipes from all of the countries. We love our apple pie enough to make it every way possible! In fact, now you can even get apple pie that totes no sugar but tastes like it has sugar.
Pie. Man, I’m getting hungry. I’m thinking hot apple pie with ice cream melting all over it! I may forgo the raspberry pie this year!
May you also enjoy a delicious slice!
Best… Carolyn Thomas Temple