Flour, shortening and a good time . . . the Peoria Historical Society hosted their annual 'History Day Camp for Girls' this weekend and for four hours Saturday afternoon, myself and 26 girls got in touch with our inner baker as we made lots of dough (pie that is) together. To read more, visit the Peoria Journal Star.
Speaking of pie, did you know . . .
Pie is the filling and baking of sweet (fruits, nuts, cheese) or savory (meat, fish, eggs, cheese) ingredients and spices in casings composed of flour, fat, and water and is an ancient practice that has changed little throughout the ages. Whether baked in ancient hearths or modern ovens, pie crusts and cultural preferences (pita, pizza, quiche, shepherd's, lemon meringue, classic apple, chocolate pudding, etc.) all figure prominently into the complicated history of this food staple.
The first pies were very simple and generally savory (meat and cheese) with flaky fruit-filled turnovers appearing in the early 19th century. Some pies are made for individual consumption because they were portable, these include pasties, turnovers, empanadas, pierogi and calzones – all of which were enjoyed by workers and sold by street vendors. . . . from foodtimeline.org
"Pie...a word whose meaning has evolved in the course of many centuries and which varies to some extent according to the country or even the region . . . Early pies were large; but one can now apply the name to something small, as the small pork pies or mutton pies...Early pies had pastry tops, but modern pies may have a topping of something else...or can even be topless. If the basic concept of a pie is taken to mean a mixture of ingredients encased and cooked in pastry, then pies were even made in the classical world and they certainly figured in early Arab cookery." . . . The Oxford Companion to Food, Alan Davidson
American Pies
"As a favored dish of the English, pies were baked in America as soon as the early settlers set up housekeeping on dry land. Beyond mere preference, however, there was a practical reason for making pies, especially in the harsh and primitive conditions endured by the first colonists. A piecrust used less flour than bread and did not require anything as complicated as a brick oven for baking. More important, though, was how pies could stretch even the most meager provisions into sustaining a few more hungry mouths..." . . . Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America
Holding It All Together: the Piecrust
A piecrust is a simple concoction of flour, fat, and water. In all times and places, the grade of the ingredients depends upon the economic status of the cook. Up through Medieval times, piecrust was often used as a cooking receptacle. It was vented with holes and sometimes marked to distinguish the baker or owner since communal ovens that were used by several people at once. Piecrusts have changed little through the ages.
Renaissance patissiers began experimenting with lighter, more malleable doughs. Recipes for short paste (meaning they used butter) and puff paste enter cookbooks at this time. Seventeenth century English cookbooks reveal several recipes for piecrust and puff paste, all of varying thickness, taste and purpose. American cookbooks contain instructions for making pies with puff paste, often decorating them with cut out pieces of dough.
- GE, 6/23/08
No comments:
Post a Comment