[Sca-cooks] What is the difference between a pie and a tart?

[JIMCHEVAL at aol.com]

In common parlance, that is the usual distinction, though clearly not hard  
and fast.
 
A similar problem exists for the French words tourte and tarte. Le Grand  
d'Aussy:
 
" Although hot pasties were made with fine flour, nonetheless since they  
were round, like tourtes of bread, they were equally called tourte or tart, 
depending on if they were  filled with vegetables, or made with meat or fish. 
But in the XVth century a  distinction was made; and it is Taillevent who 
notes this. Any pastry containing  meat or fish is called pasty; and the word 
tart was reserved for those  containing vegetables, fruit, greens or 
preserves. As for us, we have renounced  this distinction; and we say equally 
pigeon tourte, spinach, jelly, frangipane  tourte, etc."
 
And of course there were "covered tarts". Le Grand provides an inventory  
that might be of interest:
 
" In an account of 1333, for the Household of Humbert, Dauphin of the  
Viennois, parmesan tourtes are mentioned; in Taillevent, a covered tart; a  
jacobine; bourbonnaise; two-faced tart; with pears; with apples; in Platina, 
white tart; common tart; turnip tart;  quince; gourd; elder flower; rice, oat 
gruel; rose; chestnut; millet; cherry;  date; May herbs; in Charles Etienne, 
an Italian tart, which was made with fines  herbes; (this may be the same as 
the last from Platina); finally in a work from  the same period, which I 
will cite below, tart of England, cream tart, beef  marrow, apples well 
chopped in a large flagon, plums, white wine; swallowed  tart, old tart, fanaide 
tart, godiveau tart, plated tourte, béatilles.  
Normally, in fruit season, says Champier, several different  fruits of 
different kinds went into tourtes. For example, one made them  partially of 
strawberries, apricots, plums, greens, cream, verjuice, etc; and in  making them 
thus, yellow, green, white, and red, in compartments, designs were  formed, 
agreeable to the eye. 
The author informs us that a Cardinal of his time, a man of the  greatest 
distinction, but whom he does not name, had invented medlar tourtes,  
seasoned with hypocras. 
L'Etoile, wanting to describe for us the mad profusions, the  extravagant 
expenses of [François] d'O [1535-1594] says that this  Superintendent of 
finances surpassed Kings and Princes in prodigality; and  that even in his 
suppers, he had tourtes served of musk and amber, which cost  twenty-five crowns. 
But these refinements of gluttony were not part of the  Nation's ways; they 
were particular to a  man who, after having risen to his place by a million 
base acts, dissipated in  an insolent luxury the treasures of the State he 
oppressed; while on the other  hand he left his Prince in the greatest need. 
Another sort of tourte was known among us then, fine, but less  expensive. 
It was called marzipan tart, and was made, says de Serres, with  ground 
almonds, scented with rose water, and seasoned to half their weight with  sugar. 
When it was half-baked, it was taken out of the oven to be glazed with  
sugar and egg white; after which it was baked to completion. 
The custom of glazing tourtes survived in the last century; but  their form 
changed. In the center of their circumference was raised a sort of  rock, 
which was made up of different jellies; and all around were planted on the  
pastry sweet-meats, pistachios, preserved lemon peels. This mound of jellies 
was  related to a fashion which then survived, as I will say elsewhere, and 
which  consisted in serving in a pyramid meat and dessert fruit. As to the 
custom of  studding sweet-meats and zests into the pastry, as is known it 
still survives in  certain spice-breads. 
Picardy was famous for its tarts, and above all for its cream  tarts; so 
attest several Authors of the last two centuries. In social  gatherings, the 
custom was that he at whose place one gathered gave the  different members of 
the group a collation with refreshments. Well the principal  dish of these 
snacks was a tart; which led to the gatherings being called  tartarins; a 
name which they still bear today."
 
Jim  Chevallier
_www.chezjim.com_ (http://www.chezjim.com/) 

Newly translated  from Pierre Jean-Baptiste Le Grand d'Aussy:

Bread,  Pastry and Sweets in Old Regime France
https://www.createspace.com/5069278
_http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OJZKRTQ  

 
In a message dated 11/28/2014 2:29:25 P.M. Pacific Standard Time,  
StefanliRous at gmail.com writes:

I  thought pies had top crusts, but tarts did not. However, this would mean 
than  all those things called pumpkin pies in the stores and restaurants 
are  actually pumpkin tarts, not pumpkin  pies.

_ (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OJZKRTQ)