Today’s pasty is the working man’s version, a perfect meal in the hand, easily transportable… ~Janet Clarkson
Based on recent research, it isn’t just today’s pasty that is a perfect portable meal. These little hot pockets have been around since the 13th century, according to an organization that ought to know–Proper Cornish, the Pasty Makers. While they began in Cornwall, an exquisitely beautiful area, they traveled in more ways than one. But first, the origin story.
For the Miners, Right?
No, apparently not. Well, it isn’t confirmed. Proper Cornish asserts that the earliest references were to dining in wealthy households. The royals and other well-heeled diners enjoyed some pretty exotic fillings inside those flaky crusts, not just beef and vegetables. Venison, lamb, or seafood. None of that sounds exotic? Try eel. I recognize I’m not an adventurous eater, but who among you has had the equivalent of a pot pie that contained eel? Back to the origin.
It wasn’t until the 18th century that pasties became popular with commoners in Cornwall, but the fillings did not replicate those enjoyed by the wealthy. Instead, working-class wives used readily-available vegetables which, at that time, consisted of potatoes, swedes*, and onions. Occasionally, they might include meat, but only cheap cuts. As the below-ground tin mining industry in that part of England grew, pasties became a go-to lunch item, as they were filling and economical. *In the U.S., swedes are called rutabagas.
Remains of a tin mine, a sliver of the glorious Cornish coastline, and a magnificent pasty shop. We had steak pasties, and those were the best I’ve had in Cornwall. I haven’t tried the UP version yet – not there, anyway.
And On to the UP (Upper Peninsula)
As we all know, solutions spread. Shortly after Michigan evolved from the Northwest Territory in the mid 19th century, prospectors arrived from Cornwall looking for minerals. They found both iron and copper, which attracted experienced Cornish miners. When they came, they brought their pasties with them, per the History Channel, via Lehto’s Pasties. While hordes of Italians and Finns came later, the pasty stuck as the favored food for miners. Of course, each culture injected its own slant, sometimes substituting carrots for rutabagas, for example. Good move, in my view.
Once the Mackinac Bridge opened in 1957, the Upper Peninsula was accessible to tourists. They, in turn, had access to pasties, and the demand for this new-to-them food went south. Literally. I think Michigan still owns this one, though. That state even has a statewide celebration in honor of pasties (May 24th), and that’s been a thing since 1968.
- Bakers in Cornwall crimp the pastry (of their pasties) on the side; in Devonshire, the crimp is on top.
- Tin miners used the crimp as a disposable grip since their hands were contaminated with arsenic.
- Shakespeare’s script for The Merry Wives of Windsor (1600) called the hungry to dine, “Come! We have a hot pasty to dinner.”
- Wives often carved their husbands’ initials in the crust to make sure their lunches landed in the right hands.
And from Proper Cornish, sometimes bakers added fruit at one end of the pastry as a sweet treat.
Want to try a pasty? You don't have to go to Cornwall, or even to Michigan.
No, you probably do not want to try Amazon, but you can find them online. I don’t have experience with any vendor over here, so I’d suggest trying your hand at making them. It doesn’t have to be hard. Use your favorite pastry recipe and give it a try next time you have leftover pot roast and potatoes. Or whatever. It’s your kitchen. Shout out to my dear friend Ellen Weingartz, a transplanted Michigander, who recently gifted me two delish pasties. They were chock-full of beef, onions, and carrots. Paired with a small salad, one pasty was the perfect meal for two. Not a typo.
Just a few more tidbits before closing:
- Pasty has a short ‘a’, so it rhymes with nasty. True enough, where I’ve heard it pronounced in Cornwall, but there may be (will probably be) regional differences in the U.S.
- The crust bakers use for pasties is short-crust. This simply means it is crumbly rather than flaky (not puff pastry), and is sturdy enough to hold its shape. This type of pastry is just what you’d use for a quiche.
So now you know how to introduce this dish when you make it for company. Stressed by the thought of making a homemade crust? No worries. Since short-crust is prescribed, you can just buy Pillsbury pre-made crusts. Bury the box at the bottom of the garbage can. Your pasties will be delicious. And I won’t tell a soul.
The Idea of having arsenic on the crimped part of the pastry might have had me throwing a pretty healthy portion away! When living in England, I rented a MiniCooper to drive down to Cornwall both to see the coast there and to drive a Mini. England has a lot of coastline but you have to look for sandy beaches…and look hard. Working in striking distance of Myrtle Beach spoiled me.
They must have already seen a lot of illness from arsenic by that time to be so disciplined. It had to be painful to throw away food, even if you knew it contained an unhealthy additive, thanks to holding it with dirty hands. As to the beaches, there are tons of sandy beaches in Cornwall, but some of them take a bit of effort to get to. The walks down to the beach are no joke.
One other thing, Our maternal grandmother did not have an oven but fried some really delicious peach pies from the peach tree behind her house. I gathered the peaches as I loved to climb trees at the time, she cooked them down in a ton of sugar and wrapped them in her pie crust for frying on her trusty wood burning stove!
This is another example of the difference in our memories. I don’t recall eating anything with fruit in it (or sugar, for that matter) at Grandma Perry’s. I do remember eating fried pies all the time at Grandma Gibson’s. I have lard and dried fruit on my grocery list and I’m going to try my hand at duplicating (the best I can) those fried pies.
Fried apple and peach were favorites of my mother and mother in law. Delicious. Never tried filling with meat an veggies but sounds good Baking is safer on your hands becsuse of turning them over. Good blog
We call these empanadas, which are basically meat pies. Supposedly, they originated from Galicia, Spain and dates as far back to the 7th century Moorish influences.
I was wondering about the difference between empanadas and pasties, and looked it up. Pasties are larger, and the dough isn’t made the same way. Also, I think they’re always baked. Apparently, empanadas are either fried or baked. I’m thinking the South’s fried pies came from the UK because more people from that area landed in the U.S. than from Spain. I believe that to be true, anyway. Either way, just proves that when it comes to food, people use what’s available, cooking it any way they can, and lots of different cultures may have been doing similar things without influence from others. Possible?