Where do meat pies originate from?
From Peter Balikoff of Maffra Australia Source - Mitsubishi 4WD Owners Club of Qld (Inc) The actual origin of the popularity of the meat pie in Australia is not known but the first recorded mention of the 'pie' appeared in 1850 in the Melbourne Argus which reported that the Councillors preferred a meat pie from the pub opposite rather than the food provided in the chambers. Pie pastry was probably developed by the Greeks around the 2nd century B.C. When the Romans conquered Greece they took the recipe home and it quickly spread throughout Europe via the Roman roads where every country adapted the recipes to their customs and foods. The Norman people were great pie bakers and their favourite pie was made of lamprey which was something like an eel and was considered a delicacy of the English Court. It seems that the pastry was merely a means of cooking the meat or fish, a bit like a modern day casserole, and was not always eaten as it was mostly tough and inedible. Around1350 during the reign of Charles V of France the important thing at banquets was not the dishes as such but acts, minstrels, magicians, jugglers and dancers. And so chefs entered into the fun by producing 'pies' which when opened contained musicians and dancing girls etc. And so animated 'pyes' became the most popular banquet entertainment in England during the 15th to 17th Century. The nursery rhyme "Sing a song of sixpence….four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie' refers to such a pie. According to the rhyme, "When the pie was opened the birds began to sing etc," in all likelihood those birds not only sang, but flew briskly out at the assembled guests. Rabbits, frogs, turtles and other animals and even human dwarfs were also set into pies to be released when the crust was cut and they would then entertain the guests. Pies as we know them came into being during the Victorian era when middle classes adopted the "Sunday roast" of either beef or lamb. The leftover meat was minced and the lamb was topped with potato, baked and became shepherds pie and the beef was noted as cottage pie. And of course as the English migrated they took their cooking habits and recipes with them. Probably from the early days of colonization "Pie men" or "Pie makers" only made and sold pies and pastries and "Bakers" mostly only sold bread. Certainly that was so until the '50s and even '60s when we still had local bakers and pie carts which were mostly propelled by pedal power and heated with charcoal. These were common on street corners in most Australian towns and around schools at lunch time and indeed some can still be found in country towns today. In 1947 one L.T. McLure started baking his now famous "Four'n'twenty" pies in Bendigo. Their fame spread and eventually he moved his production to Melbourne. Production grew from 50 pies a day to over 50,000 an hour to make it the largest pie factory in the world. During the 70's and 80's the local bakers disappeared as the big companies expanded. But people still wanted "fresh" bread and this led to the birth of hot bread kitchens and, sadly, to the demise of the old "pie man" along with their closely guarded recipes. Today pies are subjected to bureaucratic controls as to what they must contain and random surveys show that they mostly conform. Connoisseurs of pies know whether it will be a "good" pie by considering the look, texture, aroma, colour and freshness. Today there are annual national competitions to find the best pies in Australia and perhaps Kampers Kitchen may run a trip to some of local winners as well as some noted country butchers and pubs sometime in the future. Pies are quite popular in England and in an effort to boost sales the biggest pie maker in England conducted a "pie personality chart" for Valentines day. The clear winner was the "meat pie man" who was seen as being super masculine, adventurous, hates being told what to do, is an avid lover of all sports and is rated as a straightforward bloke with animal passion……which no doubt means that he owns a dog. For what it's worth the ladies preferred cheese and onion or chicken and mushroom pies and they were tagged as being slightly snobbish with a love of champagne and candlelit dinners and a dislike for crude men………… meat pie eaters no doubt. And so here is the secret recipe for a genuine, fair dinkum, true blue Australian meat pie. Filling: * 750g (1 ½ lb) round steak cut into 1 cm cubes (or minced) * 375 ml (1 ½ cups / 12 fl oz) water * 1 beef stock cube * Salt and pepper to taste * 1 onion sliced very thinly * 2 tablespoons plain flour * 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce Pie base: * 250g (2 cups 8 oz) plain flour * pinch salt * 60 g (2 oz) beef dripping * 160 ml ) 2/3 cup / 5 fl oz water * extra flour * Topping: * Commercial puff pastry * Extra flour * Egg yolk mixed with a little milk, to glaze * Tomato sauce, to serve To prepare the filling: Combine all ingredients in a pan and stir until boiling. Cover, allow to simmer, stirring occasionally for one hour. Cool thoroughly before using. To prepare the base:Sift flour and salt into a bowl, combine dripping and water together into a pan, stir over heat until dripping melts. Stir into flour until combined. Turn out onto a floured sheet of paper, knead slightly until smooth. Roll out and line base and sides of 8 greased 10 cm X 10cm (4 in X 4 in) pie tins. Fill tins with meat mixture. To prepare topping, preheat oven to moderate 180 C (375 F). Roll puff pastry onto a floured sheet . Cut a circle to fit tops of pie. Wet edge of pastry base with egg and milk mixture and press pie tops into place. Trim edges and press to join. Brush with egg and milk and make a small hole in the centre of pie to allow steam to escape. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes until pies are golden brown. Serve with tomato sauce Serves 8 NOTE: Mince steak may be substituted for round steak for this recipe. Use 750 g (1 ½ lb) mince and one cup of water. Combine with other ingredients, bring to the boil and simmer for 30 minutes or microwave on HIGH for 10-15 minutes Puff Pastry may be used for top and bottom if desired. You can vary this recipe with a touch of garlic, oregano, nutmeg,, coriander and soy sauce. Peter Balikoff
