History
The first World Pasty Championships were held on 3 March 2012 at the Eden Project, a park near St Austell, Cornwall. Entrants came from the UK, US and Australia. The 102 pasties that were entered were evaluated by a panel of 21 judges based on taste, texture, appearance, crimp and technical expertise. The open savoury amateur winner was a pasty with wild rabbit poached in cider-soaked leeks, with peas and lemon zest.
In 2015 the 88-year-old mother of John Lethbridge, a Cornish sea shanty singer with the Fisherman's Friends, won the Cornish Pasty Amateur title. She had been making pasties since she helped her mother as a child. Mrs. Lethbridge uses the traditional potatoes, swede and onion, sliced thinly and placed in layers. She always uses beef skirt for the meat. At the 2015 event an empanada submitted by the miner Jorge Pereira from Chile won the open savoury category. The traditional Chilean pasty had beef, onion, hard-boiled eggs, olives and sultanas. Entrants also came from Canada and the US. The Open Savoury Professional category was won by a smoked haddock, white wine and mustard pasty. The 70 centimetres (28 in) diameter globe was the work of the head chef of the Eden Project.
At the 5th annual championship, held on St Piran's Day 2016, a baker from Canada, won the Pasty Ambassador prize. Matt Grant originated in England, where his mother taught him how to make a pasty. He now runs a pasty company in Arnprior, Ontario. Other entries included an eclectic range of fillings, including a haggis, neeps and tatties pasty, a pulled pork, sweet potato, shallots and cheddar pasty, and a Mumbai pasty with onion, sweet potato, green peas, cauliflower and undisclosed spices. Altogether there were more than 200 entries. The event included comedy and music performances.
Cornwall is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised by Cornish and Celtic political groups as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, Devon to the east, and the English Channel to the south. The largest settlement is Falmouth, and the county town is the city of Truro.
The Eden Project is a visitor attraction in Cornwall, England. The project is located in a reclaimed china clay pit, located 2 km (1.2 mi) from the town of St Blazey and 5 km (3 mi) from the larger town of St Austell.
Piran or Pyran, died c. 480, was a 5th-century Cornish abbot and saint, possibly of Irish origin. He is the patron saint of tin-miners, and is also generally regarded as the patron saint of Cornwall, although Michael and Petroc also have some claim to this title.
A pasty is a British baked pastry, a traditional variety of which is particularly associated with Cornwall, South West England, but has spread all over the British Isles, and elsewhere through the Cornish diaspora. It is made by placing an uncooked filling, typically meat and vegetables, in the middle of a flat shortcrust pastry circle, bringing the edges together in the middle, and crimping over the top to form a seal before baking.
A bridie or Forfar bridie is a Scottish meat pasty that originates from Forfar, Scotland.
Ginsters is a company based in Callington in Cornwall, in the south-west of England. The largest pasty maker in the UK in turnover, it specialises in making mass-produced pasties, sausage rolls, sandwiches, pasta bowls and other savoury snacks. Since 1977, it has been owned by Mark and David Samworth.
The bacon and egg pie is a savoury pie consisting of a crust containing bacon, egg and sometimes onion, mushrooms, bell peppers, peas, tomato, fresh herbs and cheese. It is popular in New Zealand. However, bacon and egg pie originated during the Middle Ages in Cornwall and is still a popular pie cooked in Cornish homes today. Bacon and egg pie may be served with ketchup, which can be combined with Worcestershire sauce and drizzled over the filling before the pie is baked and some versions have a rising agent such as baking powder mixed into the egg to make a fluffier filling.
The Cornish diaspora consists of Cornish people and their descendants who emigrated from Cornwall, United Kingdom. The diaspora is found within the United Kingdom, and in countries such as the United States, Canada, Mexico, Panama, Colombia, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and the Samoas.
Mineral del Monte, commonly called Real del Monte or El Real, is a small mining town, and one of the 84 municipalities of Hidalgo, in the State of Hidalgo in east-central Mexico.
A paste is a small pastry produced in the state of Hidalgo in central Mexico and in the surrounding area. They are stuffed with a variety of fillings including potatoes and ground beef, apples, pineapple, sweetened rice, or other typical Mexican ingredients, such as tinga and mole.
Saint Piran's Day, or the Feast of Saint Piran, is the national day of Cornwall, held on 5 March every year. The day is named after one of the patron saints of Cornwall, Saint Piran, who is also the patron saint of tin miners.
Cornish Americans are Americans who describe themselves as having Cornish ancestry, an ethnic group of Brittonic Celts native to Cornwall and the Scilly Isles, part of England in the United Kingdom. Although Cornish ancestry is not recognized on the United States Census, Bernard Deacon at the Institute of Cornish Studies estimates there are close to two million people of Cornish descent in the U.S., compared to half a million in Cornwall itself and only half of those Cornish by descent.
Mr. Pastie ("PASS-tee") is a brand name pasty, a meat-and-potato turnover product. It is marketed by entrepreneur Garnet T. Sleep, Jr., owner of Real English Foods, Inc., based in Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania. Mr. Pastie is based on a traditional Welsh/Cornish recipe and has been called "the original fast food." It has been sold in US military commissaries, High's Dairy Stores, Weis Markets Wal-Mart, and 7-Eleven convenience stores.
Many different symbols are associated with Cornwall, a region which has disputed constitutional status within the United Kingdom . Saint Piran's Flag, a white cross on a black background is often seen in Cornwall. The Duchy of Cornwall shield of 15 gold bezants on a black field is also used. Because of these two symbols black, white and gold are considered colours symbolic of Cornwall.
Cornish cuisine encompasses the cooking styles, traditions and recipes associated with Cornwall and the Cornish people. It has been heavily influenced by the geography of the county as well as its social history.
West Cornwall Pasty Company is a fast food chain in the United Kingdom specialising in making and selling pasties. The company was established in 1998 and has been owned by Mark and David Samworth since 2017.
The Cornish Pasty Association is a British trade association, based in Cornwall, England. As of 2013 the association included about 50 independent bakers of Cornish pasties. The association successfully sought to have the name "Cornish Pasty" protected as one of the Protected geographical indications. Despite the resolution of the 2012 "Pasty tax" matter, the BBC has reported that some Cornish Pasty Association members are still unsure whether Value Added Tax applies to their baked goods.
Britons in Mexico, or British Mexicans, are Mexicans of British descent or British-born persons who have become naturalized citizens of Mexico.
The International Pasty Festival is an annual festival celebrating the pasty that has been held in Real del Monte, Hidalgo, Mexico since 2009. Pasties, were introduced to the region by Cornish miners in the 19th century and are still made by their descendants. Traditional recipes may be followed, but often the ingredients today reflect local preferences. The annual festival attracts thousands of visitors, who may also visit the Cornish Pasty Museum and attend other cultural events.
The Cornish-Mexican Cultural Society is a society that tries to advance awareness of the historical and modern links between Cornwall and Mexico’s “Little Cornwall”, the area of Pachuca and Real del Monte in the state of Hidalgo, Mexico.
