A Cornish pasty is a baked pastry, a traditional variety of which is particularly associated with Cornwall and Devon, United Kingdom. It is made by placing an uncooked filling, typically meat and vegetables, on one half of a flat shortcrust pastry circle, folding the pastry in half to wrap the filling in a semicircle and crimping the curved edge to form a seal before baking.
The traditional Cornish pasty, which since 2011 has Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status in Europe, is filled with beef, sliced or diced potato,swede (also known as yellow turnip or rutabaga – referred to in Cornwall as turnip ) and onion, seasoned with salt and pepper, and is baked. Today, the pasty is the food most associated with Cornwall. It is regarded as the national dish and accounts for 6% of the Cornish food economy. Pasties with many different fillings are made and some shops specialise in selling all sorts of pasties.
The origins of the pasty are unclear, though there are many references to them throughout historical documents and fiction. The pasty is now popular worldwide due to the spread of Cornish miners and sailors from across Devon and Cornwall, and variations can be found in Argentina, Australia, Mexico, USA, Venezuela and elsewhere.
Interesting fact:
A part-savoury, part-sweet pasty was eaten by miners in the 19th century, in the copper mines . The technician who did the research and discovered the recipe claimed that the recipe was probably taken to Anglesey by Cornish miners travelling to the area looking for work. No two-course pasties are commercially produced in Cornwall today, but are usually the product of amateur cooks.
In other words, you can get the main and the pudding in the same pastie!
In another post I will talk about Cornish Dairy, where Cornwall is very famous for its milk!
Hugs, Johnny
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