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Irate Cornish Pastry Chefs
The Cornish pasty is an iconic symbol of Cornwall. Cornish pastry chefs, outraged by pasties produced outside Cornwall, strongly advocate giving the Cornish pasty protected status under European law.
Although pasties were originally food only for royalty, they became portable ‘fast food’ for Cornish miners sometime in the 13th or 14th century. One-half of the miner’s pastry provided dinner, while the other half provided dessert. The Business Directory for Cornwall currently reports, “Three million pasties are produced in Cornwall every week with ninety percent of them sold outside the country.”
Cornish pastry chefs make traditional Cornish pasties by wrapping minced beef, potato, onion, and turnip or rutabaga in oven-baked pastry. Over time, as Cornish pasties have traveled to other areas of the world, different meats and vegetables have been added until some pasties bear no resemblance to the original mouthwatering treat.
A Cornish Pastry Tale
Many years ago, I went to England on holiday at the invitation of a friendly Brit. On a wet and rainy Thursday in November, I arrived at Heathrow and off we ventured in his classic British racing green sports car, headed at break-neck speed toward the Cornwall coast. Rural Cornwall is a bit of a cultural shock for an American city girl. The shock was offset by the hot buttery treats baked by a local pastry chef. And, so my life-long love affair with pasties began.
Pastry Down Under
Years later when I visited Australia, I was delighted to find that pasties (although perhaps not strictly the Cornish kind) were available in every small town bakery and pastry shop. Flakey pastry crust, bursting with a savory array of different ingredients, served hot from the oven—how much more tasty can life be?
Pastry Passport
Enrolling in a pastry class can be your culinary passport to an appreciation of different regional pastries, such as the Cornish pasty. Knowing the rich histories of different foods can only enhance your culinary school experience.
About the Author
Judi Sandall is a technical writer and a regular Chef School Review columnist. She is a graduate of the State University of New York, with a BA in English Literature.
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