History of pies

The A-Z of Food and Drink from 2002 suggest the word pie or (pye) came about in the 14th century. 

The history of the pie comes from ancient Egypt and Greece, the ancient Greeks ate a pie named artocreas, it was the type with meat instead of apples and had the top open. The Romans may have made the first made pie that had a top and bottom crust.

The 2nd Centruy recipe for placenta or named flat cake, in De Agri cultural by Marcus Porcius Cato, may have made the first recipe for a fully closed pie, it was made by encasing a thick filling of goat cheese, honey, and layers of pastry dough (tract), then the bottom and top crust.

Around the 16th century, England was starting to like the sweet fruit pie or tart and it was noted that Queen Elizabeth was very much fond of cherry pie. 

There were recipes for cherries and strawberries in a Proper Newe Booke of Corkery, also the book has many recipes for both meat and fruit pies/tarts, and a chapter solely devoted to pastry. 

By the 17 century, sweet pies and tarts had become common, and cookbooks for this century could see many books just for these dishes. 

Colonial America started making pies around the same time as England, and as America grew so did the cooking, as the access to sweeteners such as maple syrup, cane sugar, molasses, and honey (the Dutch and English imported honey bees to the U.S.). Settlers made pumpkin, apple, pear, quince, and blueberry pie. Amelia Simmon’s American Cookery (1796), the first American cookbook, contains a recipe for “Pumpkin Pudding,” which is baked in a crust. This is one of the first recipes for the classic American pumpkin pie.

The Northern states of the US became known for pumpkin pies, the Midwest for its cream and cheese pies, the Southwest made nut pies from the pecan and walnut trees, Florida made the key-lime pie, Kentucky the chess pie, and below the Mason-Dixon line, the sweet potato pie.

The popularity of pie in the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries was due to the health movement. In fact, pies were condemned. Articles written by Sarah Tyson Rorer, such as “Why I have no cakes and pies on my table” (1905) and “Why I oppose pies” (1900), appeared in Ladies Home Journal.  In these articles, Mrs. Rorer wrote that “the inside of a pie is injurious” and “pies and cakes are indigestible.”

By the mid-20th century instant pudding mixes, canned fruit, and frozen and ready pie crusts made pie makings simple. Also with the use of home refrigerators. The rapidly growing food industry added other foods to pies, incorporating products such as Coca-Cola, Oreos, potato chips, and Ritz crackers.

Now pies are nice and tasty to eat and the regular pumpkin pie is a staple at Halloween now.