Savory Irish Potato Pie Recipe (VIDEO) - A Spicy Perspective (2024)

FAQs

What is the history of savory pie? ›

The history of the pie has its roots in ancient Egypt and Greece. The ancient Greeks ate pie (artocreas), though it was of the savory type with meat in an open pastry shell. The Romans may have been the first to create a pie that included a top and bottom crust.

Obviously it will have a different taste, but that's not a reason to not give it a try. I think sweet potatoes would make a tasty Curried Beef and Sweet Potato pie. Try making a thick beef curry with sweet potatoes, green peas and cilantro and putting that in your pie. I think it would be quite tasty.

Place of Origin

Many believe the pie originated in the Maryland/Delaware region, and some recipes also call it the Eastern Shore White Potato Pie. But white potato pie may well have arrived with the first English settlers.

The Ancient Egyptians were the first to invent a dish close to what we know as a pie today. They had a honey filling covered in a crusty cake made from oats, wheat, rye or barley. A recipe for chicken pie was also discovered on a tablet carved prior to 2000 BC.

A savory pie for dinner: rabbit, steak, chicken or whatever, is usually called by its full name, or a “pot pie”, or “meat pie”.

"This is like your singing in a pie." During her prolific career, Patti LaBelle has sold over 50 million records and, if Al Roker and Sheinelle Jones have their say, the iconic singer's new pie should go platinum, too.

The first sweet potato pies were requested by and perfected for the slave owners in the Big House as a way to imitate European traditions. After the Civil War, Southerners continued to favor the sweet potato pie to thumb their noses at the Northern pumpkin pie.

If you were to take a bite of both sweet potato and pumpkin pies, you'll notice that there are more similarities than differences. They're both made with eggs, vanilla, and milk (either whole or condensed), and they're both seasoned with warm spices including cinnamon and nutmeg.

In terms of micronutrients, boiled sweet potatoes come out on top in terms of vitamin C, magnesium, calcium, iron and phosphorus while the regular potato wins when it comes to potassium, Vitamin B1 and folic acid.

Which one is healthier? While both types of potatoes can be a healthy part of your diet, sweet potatoes are higher in nutrients like vitamin A that may offer extra benefits for your overall health. There are many similarities between potatoes and sweet potatoes.

What did the Irish eat instead of potatoes? ›

Until the arrival of the potato in the 16th century, grains such as oats, wheat and barley, cooked either as porridge or bread, formed the staple of the Irish diet. The most common form of bread consisted of flatbread made from ground oats.

After emancipation, when African American cooks gained more access to their own equipment and refined ingredients, they continued the tradition of baking with yams and sweet potatoes — especially the pie. These deep roots became the foundation of a strong tradition in African American food culture.

Since then, sweet potato pie has become a hallmark of Black cuisine and common on dinner tables across the South. For Miller, sweet potato pie means family and culture. "We've never had a pumpkin pie grace our table, unless somebody who doesn't know us brought one over, if we invited someone," Miller said with a smile.

Early American settlers of the Plymouth Colony in southern New England (1620-1692) may have made pumpkin pies, of sorts, without crusts. They stewed pumpkins or filled a hollowed out pumpkin shell with milk, honey and spices, and then baked it in hot ashes. Northeastern Native American tribes grew squash and pumpkins.

A pot pie or a slice of savory pie or quiche is an entire meal. And while chicken pot pie is still the most popular in America, there's a whole world of breakfast, lunch, and dinner pie out there — literally. Chicago piemakers incorporate flavors from all parts of the globe to satisfy just about any taste.

Americans eat chicken/beef pot pies, Shepard's pies, hamburger meat pies, Mexican meat pies. Italian meat pies called deep dish pizza! And probably cultural meat pies across the country!

While Australia certainly claimed ownership of this gastronomic alchemy of meat, gravy and pastry, meat pies have roots to ancient Greece and Rome. There's something to be said about the way our country embraces the meat pie. It's not just a food; it's part of the culture and you can't have one without the other.

Pumpkin Pie

Both the Pilgrims and members of the Wampanoag tribe ate pumpkins and other squashes indigenous to New England—possibly even during the harvest festival—but the fledgling colony lacked the butter and wheat flour necessary for making pie crust. Moreover, settlers hadn't yet constructed an oven for baking.