Cornish pasties: healthy fast food option?

[Gifted Gourmet]

article from the Independent UK

So why are Cornish pasties suddenly so popular? Consumers seem to regard a freshly-baked pasty as a healthier option than other fast food. The pasty has real, simple ingredients and, unusually in the fast food world, also contains some vegetables.  Food critics and writers have also noticed a growing appreciation of Britain's traditional dishes... Nowadays the standard ingredients are beef and potato, although makers are experimenting with new recipes such as steak and stilton and chicken balti. .... the Cornish pasty is popular because it is a "wholesome, feelgood" food. Its portability has also helped in an increasingly busy world. "It's a convenient product. You can eat it on the go and it's a complete meal,"

Other countries and cities must have something equivalent .. do you know of any?

Filled with meat and portable? hmmmm...

[Jensen]

Other countries and cities must have something equivalent .. do you know of any?

Filled with meat and portable? hmmmm... 

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Sure, empanadas and samosas spring to mind.

There is a pasty restaurant here in Sacramento (The Pasty Shack). The website is a little primitive; it doesn't even show the pasties filled with enchilada-type fillings. I suppose that's just filling a local market; their traditional pasties are very good but I did take issue with the counterman about the lack of any HP sauce on the tables. (They had hot sauce instead, for god's sake!)

[Grub]

Someone started a thread here not too long ago, about the delights of Jamaican beef patties, and where do you buy it? So I looked around for recipes, and made some, with beef and habaneros -- I guess that shoulda been Scotch bonnets, but it's been localized. As had the beef, I reckon -- on Jamaica that'd probably be goat. Fair enough. But when I finished the damn things, I looked at them and thought, "Wait a minute, those are Cornish pasties!"

My wild guess is, Cornish pasties moved from England to Jamaica, adopted local ingredients, and then moved to the US, or started selling to the US market, and adopted ingredients that'd be more popular there.

So uh, that's one: the Jamaican Beef Patty.

[Pan]

The Jamaicans also make vegetable patties and callaloo patties. For those who haven't had callaloo, it's a leafy vegetable that tastes something like collard greens.

[BeJam]

My wild guess is, Cornish pasties moved from England to Jamaica, adopted local ingredients, and then moved to the US, or started selling to the US market, and adopted ingredients that'd be more popular there.

Pasties actually spread with the Cornish primarily as they populated newly industrialized areas around the globe in the 19th century. If you look at those places, you will still find pasties on many menus. In the UP of Michigan, Cornish miners populated the copper mines from the 1850s and Wednesday is 'pasty day' at Mich. Tech University. The same can be said for other areas of the country, especially as new mining areas in the West were developed. Also several mining towns of Austraila also serve them.

[I_call_the_duck]

If we’re talking of hand-held fast food, I'm sure many of us are familiar with the Chinese Char Siu Bao (roast pork buns)--either baked or steamed, but there are other varieties, such as a version with chicken or beef, or (what my family calls) a Dai Bao or a Char Siu Gok. (Please note that when I say "what my family calls", I’m talking about the hybrid Chinese that I grew up speaking, not realizing that other Cantonese-speaking people, or anyone else for the matter will understand me.) A Dai Bao is literally translated as "big bun", which is a steamed bun wrapped around a pork meatball. A Char Siu Gok would be the closest equivalent to the Cornish pasty, empanda, samosa, and Jamaican Beef Patty. It is the Char Siu Bao filling wrapped in a lovely flakey pastry (also comes in a curried beef variety).

[srhcb]

Pasties actually spread with the Cornish primarily as they populated newly industrialized areas around the globe in the 19th century.  If you look at those places, you will still find pasties on many menus.  In the UP of Michigan, Cornish miners populated the copper mines from the 1850s and Wednesday is 'pasty day' at Mich. Tech University.  The same can be said for other areas of the country, especially as new mining areas in the West were developed.  Also several mining towns of Austraila also serve them.

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Pasties came to Northern Minnesota's Iron Range along with the miners from Michigan. Local bakeries still make them, and they're offered "with or without", referring to rutabega.

My mother learned to make them ("with") from my father's Scots/English mother, and hers are shaped like half a football, with a beautifully crimped seam running along the top.

SB (never even tried to make them myself)

[fatmat]

Don't forget Pork Pies...

[Jensen]

Don't forget Pork Pies...

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But how many beers do you have to drink before you start eating a pork pie with your hands?

[jackal10]

Bedfordshire clangers; like an oggie but savoury one end and sweet the other. Beef and Jam is traditional but Pork at one end and apple the other is good, as is Turkey and Cranberry...

[Zucchini Mama]

A bit of pasty trivia: The miners used to grab the pasties by the thick crimped edge and eat it with their hands, then throw the dusty part away. I can't remember where I read that, but it makes sense. In England they really make that crimped edge thick and heavy so I was a bit relieved I didn't have to eat it!

[OnigiriFB]

If we’re talking of hand-held fast food, I'm sure many of us are familiar with the Chinese Char Siu Bao (roast pork buns)--either baked or steamed, but there are other varieties, such as a version with chicken or beef, or (what my family calls) a Dai Bao or a Char Siu Gok.  (Please note that when I say "what my family calls", I’m talking about the hybrid Chinese that I grew up speaking, not realizing that other Cantonese-speaking people, or anyone else for the matter will understand me.)  A Dai Bao is literally translated as "big bun", which is a steamed bun wrapped around a pork meatball.  A Char Siu Gok would be the closest equivalent to the Cornish pasty, empanda, samosa, and Jamaican Beef Patty.  It is the Char Siu Bao filling wrapped in a lovely flakey pastry (also comes in a curried beef variety).

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Oooo I love the curried beef pastries. You wouldnt' have a recipe would you?

[I_call_the_duck]

If we’re talking of hand-held fast food, I'm sure many of us are familiar with the Chinese Char Siu Bao (roast pork buns)--either baked or steamed, but there are other varieties, such as a version with chicken or beef, or (what my family calls) a Dai Bao or a Char Siu Gok.  (Please note that when I say "what my family calls", I’m talking about the hybrid Chinese that I grew up speaking, not realizing that other Cantonese-speaking people, or anyone else for the matter will understand me.)  A Dai Bao is literally translated as "big bun", which is a steamed bun wrapped around a pork meatball.  A Char Siu Gok would be the closest equivalent to the Cornish pasty, empanda, samosa, and Jamaican Beef Patty.  It is the Char Siu Bao filling wrapped in a lovely flakey pastry (also comes in a curried beef variety).

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Oooo I love the curried beef pastries. You wouldnt' have a recipe would you?

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Sorry, Onigiri. I just eat 'em. I haven't tried making them yet.

[srhcb]

A bit of pasty trivia: The miners used to grab the pasties by the thick crimped edge and eat it with their hands, then throw the dusty part away.  I can't remember where I read that, but it makes sense. In England they really make that crimped edge thick and heavy so I was a bit relieved I didn't have to eat it!

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Another story was that the crust, (always made with lard), had to be strong enough to withstand being dropped down an underground mine shaft!

SB (My mother/grandmother's crust was short, but not that tough. )

[Gifted Gourmet]

Oooo I love the curried beef pastries. You wouldnt' have a recipe would you?

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Might this work for you? Curried beef pasties certainly looks good to me ...

[OnigiriFB]

Oooo I love the curried beef pastries. You wouldnt' have a recipe would you?

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Might this work for you? Curried beef pasties certainly looks good to me ...

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Thanks GG. I looked over the recipe and it doesn't look half bad but the ones I remember from Thailand are more like indian samosas. Wierdly enough it was always some chinese ah ma selling them on her street stall though so I associate it more with chinese food/snacks. I faintly remember ground beef and potatoes (heavier on potatoes) in a curry sauce wrapped in a pastry. It usually had quite a bite from white pepper (I think). Man now I have a craving.....

[I_call_the_duck]

Oooo I love the curried beef pastries. You wouldnt' have a recipe would you?

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Might this work for you? Curried beef pasties certainly looks good to me ...

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Thanks GG. I looked over the recipe and it doesn't look half bad but the ones I remember from Thailand are more like indian samosas. Wierdly enough it was always some chinese ah ma selling them on her street stall though so I associate it more with chinese food/snacks. I faintly remember ground beef and potatoes (heavier on potatoes) in a curry sauce wrapped in a pastry. It usually had quite a bite from white pepper (I think). Man now I have a craving.....

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Thanks GG. The recipe looked good, but the pastry is a little different than the one I have in mind. It's more like a puff pastry--very very flaky, and probably made with lard. Looks like I have to experiment myself. Yeah, I have a craving now too...and I was even in Chinatown this afternoon.

[Gifted Gourmet]

okay, okay! Flaky curried beef pasties it is!!

[Grub]

...My mother learned to make them ("with") from my father's Scots/English mother, and hers are shaped like half a football, with a beautifully crimped seam running along the top...

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I read that the placement of the seam is an indication of its origin -- seam along the bottom: Cornish pasty. Seam along the top: Devon pasty. I have no idea about other differences between the two, but I've seen both in England.

[rlibkind]

A bit of pasty trivia: The miners used to grab the pasties by the thick crimped edge and eat it with their hands, then throw the dusty part away.  I can't remember where I read that, but it makes sense. In England they really make that crimped edge thick and heavy so I was a bit relieved I didn't have to eat it!

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The thick crust exists because it was the lunch for miners. They held the pasty by the thick crust with their hands, which were dirty with tin or copper residue, then discarded the crust to avoid metal poisoning. It's all explained here:

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/foodmonthly...,475394,00.html

[I_call_the_duck]

Mmmm...flaky. Thanks, Melissa!!

Interesting bit of info about the crust. They're always my favorite part. But I suppose the tin would make it less appealing.

[andiesenji]

Calzone are the Italian version made with pizza dough instead of a short crust.

There is a Malay version. There are also a few Phillipino items that depend on dough formed around meat or fish or cheese.

The Greeks have pitta me kima which is a mixture of meat, usually lamb, tomatoes, cheese and spices wrapped in phyllo dough. There is also a very spicy version which I think is a Cypriot recipe.

Syria has a version wrapped in unleavened dough that is sort of like lavosh, I don't remember the name.

I had a terrific meat pie when I visited Quebec many years ago and was told it was a local specialty.

I shouldn't forget the crispy meat pies from south China that are steamed then deep fried. Yum!

Edited January 11, 2006 by andiesenji (log)

[Pan]

Is the Malaysian (not just Malay, and more Indian than anything else) thing you're thinking of a curry puff?

[sparrowgrass]

A bit of pasty trivia: The miners used to grab the pasties by the thick crimped edge and eat it with their hands, then throw the dusty part away.  I can't remember where I read that, but it makes sense. In England they really make that crimped edge thick and heavy so I was a bit relieved I didn't have to eat it!

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The thick crust exists because it was the lunch for miners. They held the pasty by the thick crust with their hands, which were dirty with tin or copper residue, then discarded the crust to avoid metal poisoning. It's all explained here:

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/foodmonthly...,475394,00.html

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I used to be a historical interpreter at Soudan Underground Mine State Park, in far northern Minnesota. Here is the story of pasties as I learned it.

Pasties were indeed eaten down to the bit of crust held in dirty fingers, but that last bit was not just tossed away. It was food for the tommyknockers, mischievious little fellows who plagued the miners. A miner who didn't save that last bit for the tommyknockers was liable to lose his tools, or bump his head, or his candle would blow out.

Tommyknockers are Cornish, like the pasties, but all the miners had stories about mysterious creatures underground.

[srhcb]

The thick crust exists because it was the lunch for miners. They held the pasty by the thick crust with their hands, which were dirty with tin or copper residue, then discarded the crust to avoid metal poisoning.

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Or maybe just because they didn't like eating dirt?

SB (suspects underground miners rarely lived long enough to die from metal poisoning)