History of pie

Pie is thought to be American in origin, as in "American Pie" but in actuality pie has a long history dating back to England. The purpose of pie was to serve as a baking dish holding a savory filling. Pies were often baked in "coffins" a word that actually meant basket or box. Savory meat fillings were poured into a tall tin that had a sealable lid. Other pies were baked without a container and the pie shell itself was the container. These pies were called "traps". Pie shells often took the place of today's casserole dishes as their function was to contain the filling and the pastry was thick to allow long hours of cooking. Small pies are called tartlets and a large open-faced pie is called a tart.

Neolithic Pies

Around 9,500 BC the Egyptians baked free-form pies called galettes. Ingredients used could include oat, wheat, rye and barley. Honey was used as a filling and the pie was baked over hot coals.