If you thought you’d escaped the holidays without adding another notch to your belt buckle, settle in and grab a pair of sweatpants because February is also the Great American Pie Month. Let’s never say ‘‘bye, bye’’ to American pie. This beloved American dessert is as versatile as they come. Whether Apple, Cherry, Pumpkin, or Peach, the possibilities are endless. Made from pastry dough, a pie, as we’re sure you’re aware, is as American as baseball. Known as one of the ultimate comfort foods, pies are enjoyed all over the country. It’s the month to share a slice of pie or a recipe with your family and friends and binge on your wildest pie fantasies.
History of Great American Pie Month
A pie as an entity has been around for thousands of years. In Ancient Egypt bakers used to fill bread dough with honey, fruit, and nuts and serve it to the Pharaoh. There are drawings depicting this on the tomb walls of Ramses II.
The first pie to be eaten in the United States was in 1620, when the pilgrims brought their
favorite family pie recipes with them to America. These were English-style, meat-based recipes.
The first pumpkin pie was recorded in a cookbook in 1675 and became popular in the 1800s. It’s our love for a sweet-tasting pie that makes an American pie distinctive, and over the years it has become woven into our culture as a symbol of tradition and the home. This is backed up by the fact that July 4, our nation’s birthday, is one of the most popular days to bake and eat pie.
By 1990 our love for pied had blossomed so much that the Great American Pie Month was declared to be February.