That flaky, tender crust we strive for in modern day pies was unheard of in early New England.
For most of us, Thanksgiving dinner just wouldn't be the same without pie. Despite stuffing ourselves with turkey and dressing, we all manage to save a little room for pie.
The evolution of the pie in America has been chronicled by Robert Cox in his book New England Pie: History Under a Crust.
The pie came to the new world with settlers from England, where pies were commonplace. More often as not, new world pies would have been savory, especially in the winter, when fruit was scarce.
There are early colonial recipes for seafood pies, chicken pies, as well as partridge, goose, quail, and sparrow pie.
Cox said the pies of the era would have been an affront to our modern day palettes. "You would have seen pies that mix that sweet and savory profile together in one pie," he said. "You would have meat and fruit and spices all thrown in together, not unlike an old mincemeat pie."
Cox said Puritan sensibility eventually had an influence on pies, and later on, pies became more simple -- just an ingredient or two tucked away in the crust.
And that flaky, tender crust we all strive for in our modern day pies was unheard of in early New England.
"The earliest pies in New England would have been made with simply flour and water," Cox said. "It would have been hard and impermeable. And that was the point of it: you made a crust that would serve as a vessel in which to cook the ingredients."
The hard shell served as a way to preserve the food inside and keep out bugs and germs. When the pie was ready to serve, the host would crack open the hard shell, and serve the contents to guests at the table. The shell would be served to the pigs or the servants. According to Cox, edible crusts didn't come about until later in the 18th century.
Cox also looks at New England's own unique contributions to the dish, like the maple pie, the whoopie pie, and of course the Boston Cream Pie, which was first served at Boston's Parker House in 1855. The Boston Cream Pie, along with its lesser know cousins, the Washington Pie and the Lafayette Pie, aren't really pies at all, but thin layers cakes.
Cox said an early Connecticut Thanksgiving feast would have included both chicken and squash pies. He'll talk about New England's pie tradition Tuesday evening, December 8 at the New Haven Museum.
