We find that few foods bring forth nostalgia like pie. Customers have shared with us that our sour cream raisin pie reminds them of the sweet deliciousness of their grandmothers' pies. Other pies bring back memories of a grandmother peeling apples, pitting cherries, and baking pumpkins. Customers recollect the sound of the rolling pin on the counter as grandmother rolled out her delicate pie crust.
We often think of apple pie as an American original. Even though we like the thought, "American as apple pie," we do not get the credit. In its original form, sweet pie was brought from England where it was claimed as an English specialty unrivaled in Europe. The crust of wheat flour and lard was English and used to enhance the food pantries of the British affluent. The apples, butter, and thickeners were English. The British Empire provided sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. A cookbook published in London in 1747 contained forty-three recipes for both sweet and savory pies. That was a great deal of variety back then!
For centuries before English sweet pies, throughout Europe pies were made with crusts several inches thick. These served as the pan and were tough and inedible. Called "coffins," the pie shell was more of a container used just to hold the filling, which was often made of meat. The lords and ladies ate the meat but not the shell. In Pie: A Global History, Janet Clarkson says:
"It is surely not likely that such a hard-won
resource was simply discarded after the contents were eaten even in the great
houses. The crust may not have been intended for lords and ladies, but the
well-to-do were obliged to feed their servants and were also expected to feed
the local poor. Would not this largesse of sauce-soaked crust be distributed to
the scullery boys and the hungry clamoring at the gate?"
We can be grateful that pie has evolved to what we know today. At The Stockholm Pie Company, we mix our crusts one at a time and roll out each one by hand. Apples are peeled and sliced by hand. We make our own puddings for cream pies. Fruit fillings don't come from a can; we mix our own.
We have taken the art of pie, started centuries earlier, and perfected it for you. Come to The Stockholm Pie Company and experience the evolution of pie. Celebrate National Pie Year with us.
We'd love to see you again,
Janet Garretson
The Stockholm Pie Company
