When it comes to food, United Kingdom people seem to be very casual, at least to outsiders, they really don't pay much attention to food.
But meat pie is the culinary complex of many United Kingdom.
Today, let's talk about those things about meat pie~
For United Kingdom, meat pie is both a meal and a snack.
There are many types of meat pies in United Kingdom. The filling of the steak beer pie is beef stewed with beer;
The filling for the steak kidneys pie is a mixture of beef and offal;
The fillings of the shepherd's pie are potatoes and lamb.
There are also many special stuffing pies, such as a variety of uncommon beasts, poultry and fish, such as eel pie, pigeon pie and fage pie (stuffed with sliced meat and apples, and sometimes onions and potatoes).
Meat pies feature prominently in United Kingdom pop culture, such as Mrs. Lovett's meat pie shop in "Sweeney Todd" and the lyrics "Twenty-four black thrushes, baked into pies" in "Sing a Sixpence Song......
Of all the meat pies, pork pie (round pie) is the most British. This pie is usually made and eaten in the east of England, but is rarely seen in Scotland, Wales, and even the western part of England.
The ideal pork pie crust is a blanched puff pastry, a fluffy jelly filled with salt and pepper, and some secret recipes for herbs and spices. The pie is baked until golden brown, bright in color and rolled up around the edges.
It is said that most manufacturers keep their recipes strictly secret, and the meat filling can be filled with everything from nutmeg to anchovies, and may also include vegetables, spices and even citrus peel. If it's a mass-produced meat pie, the minced meat tends to be finely ground and poorly seasoned.
So, where did this pork pie come about? Accounts differ about its origins. The first documented recipe for the original pork pie appears in the manuscript of the medieval cookbook, The Law of Curry, which is said to have been written by the court cook Richard II and was first published around 1390.
The recipe includes a puff pastry filled with minced pork, cheese, eggs, and saffron, which is different from today's pork pie, but it has already taken shape.
There is also a 14th-century pork pie recipe included in Dorothy · Hartley's 1954 Cuisine of England.
The recipe states that the filling is made from pork, nutmeg and other seasonings, and the special thing is that it is made with baby raisins, and it is eaten hot or cold. However, there are also those who are skeptical about the reliability of this recipe.
Early pork pies were served in a kind of rectangular container shaped like a "coffin", and that's what they themselves called it – yes, you read that right. It is said that this rectangular pork pie also has an elongated hard-boiled egg in the middle – really easy to reminisce.
It wasn't until the 18th century that pork pie, which was closer to the modern version, became popular, and it was particularly popular in and around the East Midlands in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, England.
As for why it was Melton Mowbray, it was because of one key word: cheese.
The region's thriving dairy industry produces large amounts of whey, a protein-rich food source that can be used to feed livestock, including pigs.
Pigs are a popular breeding livestock, so pork has also become an important part of the rural economy. Soon after the first pigs were slaughtered, in order to preserve the meat and extend the shelf life, the United Kingdom made the original pork pie.
Pork pie is also a convenient snack to carry. Farm workers in the Melton Mowbray area are reported to be eating pork pie on a regular basis.
When the upper echelons of United Kingdom came here to hunt foxes, they saw workers eating pork pie and couldn't help but want to try it. In this way, pork pie gradually became associated with "picnic", "afternoon tea" and "hunting meal".
Of course, the early pork pies weren't as sophisticated as they are today. In Maria ·Eliza · Lendl's book The New System of Home Cooking, recipes for pork pies from the early 19th century are described, mentioning that they only use a very simple crust stuffed with meat seasoned with salt and pepper only.
By this period, pork pie had become a delicacy among the middle and upper working-class classes. This was because making a pie at home was time-consuming and required an oven, which many working-class people did not have at the time.
As a result, they often have to wait until Christmas, which is once a year, when the pie is also slaughtered.
This eating habit continues to this day. For many pork pie producers in the United Kingdom, Christmas is still the peak sales season for pork pie.
In the Midlands of United Kingdom, pork pie is an integral part of many family Christmas traditions, and they are served with pickled onions or a glass of buck effervescent (a mixture of sparkling wine and orange juice) for breakfast.
The tradition of eating pork pie at Christmas has made pork pie more and more popular, but another factor is the advent of cheaper white wheat flour. The cost of making materials has become lower, which has further boosted the spread of pork pie.
Melton Mowbray's pork pie is hand-grilled, with bowed sides and a filling of good quality, making it a geographically protected icon.
Of course, for United Kingdom, the best pork pie doesn't necessarily come from Melton Mowbray. There are also plenty of delicious pork pies in the north of England.
Yorkshire pork pies, for example, are slightly smaller, still retain the traditional curled topping, and are made with cured pork, hence the "ham flavor".
Region aside, United Kingdom people have their own opinions on every detail of pork pie, from the ingredients to the temperature.
As a farmer's lunch, they are always served with a brown sauce at room temperature. Sometimes it is served warm and served with a dollop of pureed peas.
The preference for pork pie depends on the region and also on age. It is said that older people (especially those in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire) like to queue up for freshly baked pork pie. There are also disagreements about aspic, some people will pick out aspic, and some people just like to eat aspic.
What's the only consensus that pork pie lovers can agree on? That's supposed to be mass-produced pork pie that's terrible.
Over the centuries, pork pie has gone through quite a bumpy road, from a farmer's meal to an elite snack to a national favorite.
Today, pork pie is no longer limited to buffet refreshments and picnic food, but is a classic of United Kingdom celebrations.
Along with this shift, a new form of pork pie has also emerged: custom pork pie. From birthday pies with lettering on the top to "dreamy" pies where lovers express their love, custom pork pies have become a fashion.
At least we can know that United Kingdom people really love pork pie.