American apple pie is considered a symbol of American prosperity and national pride. While ancient Greeks are believed to have originated pie pastries, apple pie was brought to the American colonies by the British, Dutch, and Swedes in the 17th-18th centuries, as there were no native apples. Apple pie became associated with celebrations of presidents Washington and Lincoln's birthdays. By the 19th-20th centuries, apple pie had become a symbol of Americana, giving rise to the saying "as American as apple pie." Today, apple pie remains one of the most popular varieties of pie for Americans.
2. DefinitionDefinition
A pie is a baked dish which is usually made of a pastry dough
casing that covers or completely contains a filling of
various sweet or savory ingredients. Pies are classified by
their crusts:
A filled pie
A top-crust pie
A two-crust pie
3. HistoryHistory
Although the ancient Greeks are
believed to have originated pie
pastry, Americans have made it
part of who they are.
Apple pie was brought to the
colonies by the British, Dutch,
and Swedes during the 17th and
18th centuries. The apple pie
had to wait for the planting of
European varieties, brought
across the Atlantic, to become
fruit-bearing apple trees, to be
selected for their cooking
qualities as there were no native
apples except crabapples, which
yield very small and sour fruit.
4. As American as apple pieAs American as apple pie
What better way to celebrate the
birthdays of two presidents —
Lincoln and Washington — than
celebrating pies. As the saying
goes “as American as apple pie”
meaning “typically American.”
Way back in the 19th and 20th
centuries, apple pie became a
symbol of American prosperity
and national pride. And thus the
American expression “As easy as
pie.”
In the 1890s, “pie” was a
common slang expression
meaning anything easy, a cinch;
the expression “easy as pie”
stemmed quite readily from that.
5. Just for the record, according to the APC, nearly one out
of five (19 percent) Americans prefer apple pie to all other
pies; followed by pumpkin (13 percent), pecan (12
percent), banana cream (10 percent) and cherry (9
percent). Also 35 percent of Americans say they’ve had
pies for breakfast, 65 percent as lunch and 59 percent as
midnight snacks.
6. Some interesting factsSome interesting facts
Some sources say that the
first pie was made in Egypt in
9500 B.C.
Apple pie lovers generally
love this delicious dish
accompanied with ice
creams. There is something
unique about this taste
combination.
Apple pie is more like a
comfort food.
Cooking professionals now
prefer adding sugar to apple
pies. But earlier, recipes
didn’t have that ingredient.
Sugar used to be very
expensive at that time.