Summary
Overview
Josh and Chuck explore the rich history of pie, from ancient Egyptian galettes to modern American classics. They trace pie's evolution across cultures and continents, discuss the transition from savory to sweet varieties, and celebrate iconic pies like pumpkin, apple, and key lime while sharing personal favorites and historical quirks.
Ancient Origins of Pie
The hosts trace pie's origins back 8,000 years to ancient Egypt, where early civilizations created galettes - rustic grain-based pastries sweetened with honey and baked over hot coals. This timing is remarkable as it means pies were invented shortly after humans developed agriculture. The Greeks later adopted and modified these recipes, though they controversially shifted focus from sweet to savory by replacing honey with meats, while also advancing pastry dough techniques that resemble modern versions.
- Pies originated in Egypt 8,000 years ago, shortly after the domestication of crops
- Early pies were called galettes - rustic grain pastries sweetened with honey and baked over hot coals
- Greeks took Egyptian pie-making and controversially replaced sweet ingredients with meats
- Greeks created pastry dough similar to modern versions
- Romans brought pie-making traditions to Europe where it flourished
" They used honey as the sweetener back then, and they'd bake it over some hot coals. "
" I like a good meat pie, but I feel like we had not gotten into sweet pies enough to be deepening from that yet. "
Medieval English Pie Innovation
Medieval England transformed pie-making by creating sturdy "coffins" - boxes with thick walls and crusts designed to seal in meat juices during baking. The crust itself was considered inedible by the wealthy, serving purely as a cooking vessel, though lower classes would eat it when necessary. The English also introduced game birds baked with their legs protruding as handles, and developed crustless versions called tarts that were more pastry-forward.
- Medieval English called pies 'coffins' (spelled with two Fs and a Y) because they were sturdy boxes
- Pie crusts were considered inedible by the rich but eaten by lower classes when necessary
- Game bird legs with feet intact were left sticking out as handles
- Pies without tops are called tarts and were more focused on edible pastry
- German cookbook from 1553 described blowing air into pies to puff them up for presentation
" The point of the pie was to seal in the juices of like the savory mixture of meats and stuff, right? It was a way to bake a bunch of stuff together and then serve it as one thing onto a table. "
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