Helter skelter, in a summer swelter

[venta]

Yesterday, an email arrived to a mailing list I'm on, saying the following:

Today, I had the pleasure of introducing a German colleague to his first ever pie :).

I read that a couple of times, and was very confused. Subsequent emails clarified:

1. You don't really get pies in Germany. Certainly not savoury pies.
2. Said German colleague has been living in the UK a few years, and has regarded pies as suspicious, peculiar, scary British things to be avoided.
3. You really don't really get pies in Germany.

Yes, yes, I know that things like steak-and-kidney pie are regarded as Proper British Food, but I hadn't realised the extent to which the rest of the world doesn't really do pie. The Wikipedia page for pie describes meat pies as "popular in the UK, Australia and New Zealand".

Now. Really. In this age of multiculturalism, where the hell is the rest of the world? Why haven't they caught on? Admittedly, subsequent pages (eg for the Scotch pie) mention popularity in Canada, and they have that pot pie thing going on in America, but even so...

Where is the rest of Europe in the pie stakes? Never mind your galettes and your tartes, savoury pie is something they really should know about. More to the point, why aren't we going out there and setting up pie stalls for their education? They keep sending us their peculiar comestibles in fancy markets, we should reciprocate. "Getting an English" on the way home from the Bierkeller could be the new fashionable thing in Bavaria by summer.

Incidentally, the occasional European market in the Broadway, in Ealing, has a stall whose sign reads:

German Bratwurst

After Party

There are many readings of that which are just Not Right.

Comments

[venta.livejournal.com]

You, a seasoned traveller of forn parts, afraid to eat a pork pie?

I concede, I don't think pork pies are really the peak of UK pie-related achievement. They're not bad, though! Decent ones are really quite nice!

[rabbit1080.livejournal.com]

:-) not as scared as i am of mushy-peas or black-pudding.
so, what's a good brand of pork-pie then? just in case i find any around here. could happen.

[venta.livejournal.com]

Mushy peas: fair point. They're flippin' vile.
Black pud: you fool, it's the breakfast food of the gods.

"Melton Mowbray" is one of them controlled wossnames, like "Champagne" and is in theory jealously guarded. Actual brands I'm a bit vague on: I'd say Taylors, but that's probably only useful if you live in Darlington!

Others might know better brands to watch out for in them there colonies.

Or come and visit us, and I'll provide proper regional fayre... I'll even break out the griddle and make singin' hinnies :)

[bateleur.livejournal.com]

What's a good brand of pork-pie then?

Bray's Cottage (although their minimum order sizes are rather large unless you're having a party)

[sea-of-flame.livejournal.com]

Bear in mind you also get a better taste (IMO) from a slice of a big pork pie than munching on one of the snack-size ones - I don't know why, but it's not just a matter of scale - you don't get proper jelly between the meat & the lid with the little ones.

You can usually buy pretty good ones from supermarket deli counters - get one for a picnic in the summer, or a buffet at thus time of year, thn fellow diners can rate it ;)

[venta.livejournal.com]

rabbit1080 is in Australia, so she's allowed picnics at the moment if she wants them :)

Though possibly supermarket deli counters won't be so obliging.

[lnr]

I am a pork pie fiend. But not the Melton Mowbray style ones for preference: they have a very very short pastry which I find a little grainy. I prefer the sort I've always had in yorkshire, where the inside of the crust is all squidgey, and of course a nice layer of jelly.

Christmas never feels quite right unless there's a big pork pie sliced on the buffet :)