Peanut pie, sometimes called the "poor man's pecan pie", is a pie that is part of the cuisine of the Southern United States, in the Tidewater region, where peanuts are a common crop. [1] It can be served as a kosher dessert. [2] In North Carolina it was a standard dish to serve at family reunions or church events. [3]
The peanut's origins have been traced to Peru. It was brought to Europe by the Spanish, and then spread to Africa and Asia. It arrived in North America in the 18th century with African slaves. Peanut pie was originally considered slave food, but by the 1940s peanuts were widely consumed, and an advertisement for corn syrup (used to make the sweet, sticky pie filling) claimed that peanut pies could “make even your deepest-dyed Yankee start complimenting you with a southern accent.” The pie was popular in Virginia and North Carolina. [1]
The sweet filling is made from corn syrup, sugar and eggs, similar to how pecan pie filling is prepared. [4] Molasses, sorghum, pure cane syrup or maple syrup are sometimes used in place of corn syrup. [5] Some recipes include heavy cream or cream cheese in the filling, [6] while others may include chocolate, [7] cayenne pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg or bourbon. [1] [8] The finished pie is served warm and may be topped with whipped cream, a dessert sauce or served à la Mode. [4] [9] It can be made as individual mini-pies and frozen. [3]
Dessert is a course that concludes a meal. The course consists of sweet foods, such as cake, and possibly a beverage such as dessert wine and liqueur. Some cultures sweeten foods that are more commonly savory to create desserts. In some parts of the world there is no tradition of a dessert course to conclude a meal.
New England cuisine is an American cuisine which originated in the New England region of the United States, and traces its roots to traditional English cuisine and Native American cuisine of the Abenaki, Narragansett, Niantic, Wabanaki, Wampanoag, and other native peoples. It also includes influences from Irish, French, Italian, and Portuguese cuisine, among others. It is characterized by extensive use of potatoes, beans, dairy products and seafood, resulting from its historical reliance on its seaports and fishing industry. Corn, the major crop historically grown by Native American tribes in New England, continues to be grown in all New England states, primarily as sweet corn although flint corn is grown as well. It is traditionally used in hasty puddings, cornbreads and corn chowders.
The cuisine of the Southern United States encompasses diverse food traditions of several subregions, including Tidewater, Appalachian, Ozarks, Lowcountry, Cajun, Creole, African American Cuisine and Floribbean cuisine. In recent history, elements of Southern cuisine have spread to other parts of the United States, influencing other types of American cuisine.
A pie is a baked dish which is usually made of a pastry dough casing that contains a filling of various sweet or savoury ingredients. Sweet pies may be filled with fruit, nuts, fruit preserves, brown sugar, sweetened vegetables, or with thicker fillings based on eggs and dairy. Savoury pies may be filled with meat, eggs and cheese or a mixture of meat and vegetables.
A pancake is a flat cake, often thin and round, prepared from a starch-based batter that may contain eggs, milk and butter and cooked on a hot surface such as a griddle or frying pan, often frying with oil or butter. It is a type of batter bread. Archaeological evidence suggests that pancakes were probably eaten in prehistoric societies.
A butter tart is a type of small pastry tart highly regarded in Canadian cuisine. The sweet tart consists of a filling of butter, sugar, syrup, and egg, baked in a pastry shell until the filling is semi-solid with a crunchy top. The butter tart should not be confused with butter pie or with bread and butter pudding.
Chess pie is a dessert with a filling composed mainly of flour, butter, sugar, eggs, and sometimes milk, characteristic of Southern United States cuisine. It is similar to pecan pie without any nuts.
Pennsylvania Dutch cuisine is the typical and traditional fare of the Pennsylvania Dutch. According to one writer, "If you had to make a short list of regions in the United States where regional food is actually consumed on a daily basis, the land of the Pennsylvania Dutch—in and around Lancaster County, Pennsylvania—would be at or near the top of that list," mainly because the area is a cultural enclave of Pennsylvania Dutch culture.
Pecan pie is a pie of pecan nuts mixed with a filling of eggs, butter, and sugar. Variations may include white or brown sugar, cane syrup, sugar syrup, molasses, maple syrup, or honey. It is commonly served at holiday meals in the United States and is considered a specialty of Southern U.S. origin. Most pecan pie recipes include salt and vanilla as flavorings. Pecan pie may be served with whipped cream, vanilla ice cream or hard sauce.
Tangyuan are a traditional Chinese dessert made of glutinous rice shaped into balls that are served in a hot broth or syrup. They come in varying sizes, anything between a marble to a ping pong ball, and are sometimes stuffed with filling. Tangyuan are traditionally eaten during the Lantern Festival, but because the name is a homophone for union and symbolizes togetherness and completeness, this dish is also served at weddings, family reunions, Chinese New Year, and the Dōngzhì festival.
Texan cuisine is the food associated with the Southern U.S. state of Texas, including its native Southwestern cuisine influenced Tex-Mex foods. Texas is a large state, and its cuisine has been influenced by a wide range of cultures, including Tejano/Mexican, Native American, Creole/Cajun, African-American, German, Czech, Southern and other European American groups.
Cashew pie is a pie prepared with cashews as a primary ingredient. Whole or chopped cashews may be used, or both. It may be prepared with a sweet filling base prepared with corn syrup, sugar and eggs, similar to how pecan pie filling is prepared. It may be prepared using chocolate and fruits such as raspberry as an ingredient, and may be served topped with whipped cream or caramel. It may be served hot.
Walnut pie is a pie prepared with walnuts as a primary ingredient. Whole or chopped walnuts may be used, or both, and toasted walnuts may be used. It may be prepared as a cream pie, and may include maple syrup, molasses, and cinnamon as ingredients. It may be prepared with a sweet filling base prepared with corn syrup, sugar, and eggs, similar to pecan pie filling. Chocolate and honey may also be used. Walnut pie may be prepared using fruits such as raisins, figs, plums, and cranberries, among others. Walnut pie may be served at room temperature or warmed. It may be topped with whipped cream or served à la Mode.
Millionaire pie is an American icebox pie. This pie is a dish popular in the Southern United States, Texas, and New Mexico. It is made of whipped cream or whipped topping, crushed pineapple, and chopped pecans with a graham cracker crust, although the ingredients are modifiable. Some versions include condensed milk, cream cheese, flaked coconut, and/or cherry pie filling or maraschino cherries. However, the whipped topping or whipped cream, pineapple, and crust are essential ingredients, although the type of crust can vary.
Pie in American cuisine has roots in English cuisine and has evolved over centuries to adapt to American cultural tastes and ingredients. The creation of flaky pie crust shortened with lard is credited to American innovation.
