[Sca-cooks] pumpkins and squashes
Stefan li Rous
StefanliRous at austin.rr.com
Sat Jul 19 21:13:34 PDT 2008
Bear replied to me with:
<<<
Bear said:
<<< Purely as a guess, pumpkin pie began as an Elizabethean "thang" in
the New
World as a replacement for some of the pie stuffs the colonists had left
behind. >>>>
Okay, such as what? I can't see it replacing a berry pie. It's too
different. And I can't think of anything in a custard pie which
wouldn't
have been available in the New World, at least after the colonies were
going.
Stefan
Again, as a guess, this was a replacement for sweet potato pie which
is an
Elizabethan treat and probably not generally available in Virginia at
that
time. >>>
Ah, okay. Sweet potato would be much closer to the texture/processing
of a pumpkin pie. I'm somewhat surprised though that sweet potato
would be common enough in England that the colonists would have been
aware of it, yet not be growing it in the colonies.
<<< Also, you are being far to restrictive in your idea of pie. You
appear to
be assuming a dessert, where as pie in the Elizabethan usage may be an
intergral part of the meal and not necessarily sweet. >>>
No. I was thinking more of texture and processing rather than sweet/
savory. Although all the pumpkin pies I've eaten have been sweet. I
guess with added sugar. Did these Elizabethan sweet potato pies tend
to be savory then, rather than sweet?
<<< I've made artichoke
pie and within easy reach I have Elizabethan recipes for eel and
onion pie,
apple and orange pie, and olive pie. The olives in olive pie are
slices of
stuffed meat. >>>
None of these, I think, end up with a custardy, well chopped/pureed
filling. They are all larger chunks and pieces. I thought oranges
were more of a Spanish item during Elixabethan times. So oranges,
perhaps the non-sweet ones, were available in England? And these
Elizabethan apple and orange pies were savory, not sweet?
Stefan
--------
THLord Stefan li Rous Barony of Bryn Gwlad Kingdom of Ansteorra
Mark S. Harris Austin, Texas
StefanliRous at austin.rr.com
**** See Stefan's Florilegium files at: http://www.florilegium.org ****
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