Cornish Pasties

For many years the debate has raged what constitutes the ingredients in a Cornish Pasty - if it did not comply with Grandma's recipe, it was not a Cornish Pasty. Most of the recipes had to have meat to qualify, those that did not were called Vegetable Cornish Pasty.

The first known, or one may perceive what is perhaps the earliest reference to the now far-famed Cornish Pasty, was a comment by a visitor from London to Cornwall an 1776. That only the comparatively well to do could afford the price of butcher's meat, for the lowest sort of people, as the visitor observed, living was so wretched that our poor in the environs of London would soon perish if reduced to their condition.

The labourers in general brought up families with only potatoes or turnips or leeks or pepper grass rolled up In black barley crust and baked under the ashes. Their children were healthy and strong and looked quite fresh and jolly.

The Cornish Pasty has to be crimped over the top to qualify and in some cases the crust has to be extended at each end - this is to allow the miners to eat the Pasty with dirty hands and throw away the crust ends. In some cases the inside of the pasty was a dual mixture, savoury one end and mince or apple the other.

The Cornish have a sense of humour that is often only appreciated by the, Cornish and in the case of the dual mixture, the housewife would mark the Pasty to distinguish one end from the other by marking one end with a T.S. for "tis meat" and the other end with a T.S. for 'tisent meat'.

Roll out pastry to 1/4" thick, cut into rounds using saucer or saucepan lid. Cut meat into small pieces. Dice the raw potato and chop onion finely. Mix meat, onion and potato together, adding salt, pepper and cold water. Place some fitting on one half of the circle of pastry, dampen edges of the pastry with cold water and fold over to cover the mixture. Press the edges together and crimp with the fingers Make 2 or 3 slits in the side. Brush with beaten egg or milk and place on a flavored tray and bake until golden brown in a hot oven.

Mix with water, roll out and cut into strips. this mixture makes 6 nice sized pasties.

The devil never came into Cornwall it is said because he was afraid he would be put into a pie. When you see the following list you may be able to see why.

Mackerel Pies	Bream Pies	Lammy Pies	Tatty Pies
Pilchard Pies	Curlew Pies	Giblet Pies	Herby Pies
Conger Pies	Squab Pies	Leek Pies

and many, many more which formerly graced the tables of old Cornwall.

Nothing was considered to big or too small or too tough or to greasy to be placed in a pie. However because of the convinence of being able to be carried to work, the pastie has long been a favourite item in the Cornishman's bill of fair.