Matador Network's Blog, page 970

Central Europe’s “tripoint” table

There’s no denying that people have a fascination with anywhere they can be in two places at the same time. On the face of it, it sounds impossible. But when you consider the popularity of places like the Four Corners in the US — where Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah meet — it’s no surprise that there are places around the world where people can stand in multiple states or countries at the same time. One such place is the “tripoint” between Austria, Slovakia, and Hungary. The “Four Corners of Europe” if you will.

Szoborpark, the sculpture park in which this point is located, was built after the Iron Curtain fell in 1991 to symbolize unity among the three countries. All the park’s sculptures were created by international artists and incorporate the triangular shape to represent each of the three nations.

Indeed, whereas border walls and checkpoints often remind us of the division of nations, and what separates us, the tripoint and other sites like it are reminders of our similarities — that borders are immaterial, moveable things. Perhaps the best example of this in the sculpture park is a triangular picnic table, where people from Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, and other nations are encouraged to lunch together and, over a sandwich, forget the borders that may separate them.


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What is plogging, Swedish exercise

Getting outdoors is invigorating. Whether you are out for a hike in the mountains or a run on the beach, there is just something energizing about being in the fresh air and soaking in all that nature has to offer… until you notice litter. Ugh. You ponder who left it and how they could have been so irresponsible as to not take care of their rubbish. You may have gone as far as picking up the trash and taking it with you to throw away. Little did you know, you just participated in plogging.

Plogging may be an unfamiliar word, but the act is something that many of us have unknowingly participated in or have at least thought about doing before. Either way, now the Swedish passion for combining exercise with picking up garbage is catching on around the globe for the benefits it brings to both the plogger and the environment.

Plogging’s Swedish background

Photo: Halfpoint/Shutterstock

The concept of plogging, which is the act of picking up trash while doing an outdoor activity, originated in 2016. Erik Ahlstrom was living in the idyllic ski resort area of Are before he moved back to Stockholm after a 20-year hiatus. When Ahlstrom arrived in Sweden’s capital city, he noticed that there was litter and that no one was making an effort to pick it up. His philosophy was that if an area was filled with garbage, it would just become dirtier. Conversely, if a community was kept clean, residents and visitors would strive to keep it that way.

Longing to make a difference, Ahlstrom originated the notion of plogging. The word itself is a fusion between the Swedish term “plocka upp” — which means to pick up — and the word jogging. Plogging events were organized countrywide as residents all over Sweden caught on and started to take pride in their communities. A trend was born as people endeavored to make Sweden a cleaner country.

Bringing it outside of Sweden

Photo: Tatyana Aksenova/Shutterstock

The Swedes’ efforts did not go unnoticed, and visitors to the country took note of its cleanness. Sarah Williams, owner of Desert Paddleboards in Mesa, Arizona, was one such tourist. At first glance, the pristineness of Stockholm caught her attention, and when she was searching for activities in the area, she happened upon plogging.

Williams’s thoughts immediately turned to her home state and how she could use this new activity to positively impact her community. The Lower Salt River was a popular spot for paddleboarding, yet the area was often laden with trash. The thought of plogging sparked an idea in Williams’s mind. After all, picking up garbage seemed much more enjoyable when combined with doing an outdoor activity.

She teamed up with Natural Restorations, a non-profit wilderness clean up group, to organize her first plogging event. Participants were armed with paddles, boards, bags, and trash grabbers to clean up the river and the surrounding land. Over 300 ploggers floated on boards to pick up debris both drifting down the river and stuck in the overhanging brush at the river’s sides.

Realizing that she was onto something, Williams organized year-round events to encourage people to clean up waterways and wilderness areas. “It’s become a really fun way to get people outside, exercise, and help the environment,” Williams explained in an interview. She said she had also partnered with a Tahitian tourism company to use plogging to help keep the Tahitian islands and their surrounding waters free of debris.

Today, you can find plogging opportunities well beyond Scandinavia and the US. Multiple UK organizations hold plogging events. Plogging España organizes meetups to clean up beaches and parks from Barcelona to Bilboa. Plogging Brasil has been cleaning up beaches in coastal São Paulo, and in 2018, Japan held its first-ever plogging event.

Lasting benefits

Photo: David Pereiras/Shutterstock

The key is that plogging is a mindset, and no matter their age, whereabouts, or abilities, anyone can participate. Whether located in the inner city, rural countryside, or forest, everyone can be intentional about noticing and picking up litter whether they are running, walking, hiking, or paddleboarding.

It’s obvious that plogging positively impacts the environment as it decreases pollution. It takes centuries for a plastic bottle to degrade on its own, but other stunning facts are that it takes up to five years for a cigarette butt and up to 25 years for a piece of gum to disintegrate.

Many of us have tossed small things out of a window because we thought they were minuscule enough to not cause harm, but they do. They poison the soil and our waterways, and even the smallest bits of plastic get carried off into our oceans. These items aren’t glamorous or even comfortable to pick up, so it’s wise to include a pair of gloves in your plogging kit.

There are advantages for the person who is participating in cleaning up their community. Getting outdoors, breathing fresh air, and burning a few calories have health perks, yet the benefits go deeper than that as being conscious becomes a lifestyle.

The impact on others is also significant. When residents notice that their community is getting cleaner, it will encourage them to be more aware of where they toss their trash. Those who go along on plogging excursions or observe others in the act of picking up litter will also learn to take better care of the environment.

So, next time you are heading out the door to exercise, think about where you are going and how you can make our world a better place for others and future generations to enjoy. And don’t forget to take along a bag — plus some gloves for those nasty cigarette butts.


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Guide to staying at Japanese ryokans

Staying at a ryokan can be one of the most rewarding cultural experiences you can have while traveling through Japan. Though all of them are different, most have a basic outline of rules built on respect that were crafted to ensure you have an incredible stay. Ryokans are traditional Japanese inns that typically emphasizes a historic appearance, welcoming atmosphere, and comfort. They usually have relaxing onsens, baths fed by a natural hot spring, and prepare multi-course meals for their guests. Safe to say, they seem like something out of a fairy-tale if you’re not used to Japanese culture.

Much like classic Western hotels, not all ryokans are equal, though many have similar expectations, structures, and amenities. Still, entering one for the first time can be intimidating if you aren’t sure of what to expect. Here’s what to anticipate during your stay at a ryokan, along with how to act respectfully and ensure you have a great time while exploring this amazing part of Japanese culture.

How to choose the right ryokan for your trip

Photo: Sergii Rudiuk/Shutterstock

You’ve been waiting for this your entire trip — you’ve booked an amazing ryokan nestled in the foothills, and after weeks of traveling, you want nothing more than to soak in a legendary onsen and eat delicious, ryokan-prepared food for dinner and breakfast. You’re shown to your room to find it has no fluffy bed for you to plop onto for a nap, and head to the dining area only to learn your evening meal was not included in your stay. Even worse, you quickly learn there is, in fact, no legendary onsen. Uh oh.

Let’s talk about expectations.

Safe to say, you can easily manage all expectations for a ryokan by doing a little research and determining what you want from your stay ahead of time. This will help you identify which ryokans to book, as not all have onsens, included meals, or Western-style beds (though the full ryokan experience includes trying out the futons on tatami mats that are offered by most ryokans).

In addition to your choice of room style, you can often choose which meals — and which types of meals — are included in your stay. Many ryokans offer a Western breakfast or dinner but will serve Japanese meals unless you specifically request otherwise.

You’ve walked in the front door. Now what?

Respect is a major player in Japan, though it’s easy to quickly fall in love with the custom of offering bows and smiles to those who help you or when passing an elder on the sidewalk. Upon arriving, be respectful to those working at the ryokan and other guests. Most expect you to remove shoes upon entering the front door, and will provide slippers inside you can wear around the building. You’ll check in and a staff member will most likely show you around the ryokan and to your room.

What to expect in your room

Photo: Bhakpong/Shutterstock

Don’t be alarmed if you walk into your room and there’s no bed. Many ryokans have turndown services that make the bed while you’re at dinner, getting the mats and blankets from closets in your room, and replacing them in the closet with the daytime furniture in the morning.

It’s important to note most ryokans do not have central heating or air. Rooms are typically equipped with portable heater and ac units, depending on the season. This dates back to the original creation of the ryokans and how owners are generally keen on keeping the original structure for both tradition’s sake and to maintain a cozy atmosphere. In addition to this, ryokans usually have common bathroom areas for multiple rooms or entire floors to share, and these are often not heated or air-conditioned.

As mentioned earlier, rooms can vary from ryokan to ryokan. When venturing into your room, you’ll come across the agari-kamachi, the space right inside the door where you are expected to remove your shoes or slippers. The rooms themselves are what you might expect of historic Japan — simple yet comfortable, with the shoji, or sliding paper doors lining the tatami mat floor, speckled with low wooden tables and sitting cushions called zabuton. You may also notice a pile of folded clothes, that when you open up looks like a large robe. This is a yukata, which literally means “bathing clothes” and is a traditional garment you can wear around the ryokan, whether you’re off to the onsen or to dinner. During the winter, there might be two yukatas, which you can layer for warmth.

The onsen

Photo: Em7/Shutterstock

Hot water steaming up from the earth to melt stress away and relax your muscles — in short, onsens are magical. If you stay at a ryokan without an onsen, visit one in town before you leave Japan. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes; some resemble natural pools lined with stones while others look more like baths lined with ceramic tiles. Whether your ryokan has onsen tubs in private rooms or a large communal bath, an onsen soak is a must when visiting Japan. If you’re unsure about specific onsen rules, always ask the ryokan staff. They’d rather have you ask than jump in the wrong pool, wearing a swimsuit, without rinsing off first. Like ryokans, onsen rules vary from tub to tub, but most have the same general expectations.

Ask whether the onsen pools are co-ed or not. Many locations separate males and females, and you definitely don’t want to find yourself in the wrong one.
Before entering an onsen, you’ll see an area with buckets or showers. Use these to rinse your body before getting your soak on.
After you’re squeaky clean, don’t put a swimsuit on as most onsens require you to wear nothing but your birthday suit. Some have modesty towels for you to cover yourself up somewhat when walking around, while others offer light wraps to wear.
No alcohol or glass bottles near the onsen.
Never wash inside the tub, and keep your hair out of the pool. The small towels that most onsens have can be used to tie up hair.
Don’t watch others when they’re washing outside of the tub or walking around. This sounds self-explanatory, but for many, this might be their first time seeing a large number of unclothed folks in one place. Be aware of where your eyes focus when you’re zoning out.
It’s also important to note that tattoos are still somewhat stigmatized in parts of Japan, so some onsens don’t allow people with tattoos into the communal baths; though some that follow this will allow those with tattoos to book private rooms instead. If you have tattoos be sure to check the onsen or ryokan’s website in advance for what it does or doesn’t allow.

Experiencing a traditional ryokan meal

Photo: Keitama Papa/Shutterstock

Like all other pieces, the food differs between ryokans. One thing you can count on, though, is that multiple plates filled with tasty courses are in your future. Though Western-style dinners are often offered, the kaiseki ryori, or traditional Japanese multi-course cuisine, is where a ryokan really shines. Meals are typically taken in your private room or in a communal dining area depending on the ryokan. Either way, colorful dishes of handcrafted foods will cover the table and your tastebuds will be quite happy.


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World's best unfinished landmarks

Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia has been under construction so long that cranes and scaffolding are starting to seem like design elements. Though it’s slated to be finished in 2026, almost 150 years after ground broke on the project, the basilica’s become just as famous for being a work in progress as it has for being Gaudí’s crowning achievement. And it’s not the world’s only iconic, unfinished landmark. From what will be the largest sculpture in the world to temples, cathedrals, and mosques that may or may not ever see completion, these are seven historical sites worth visiting no matter their construction status.

1. Hassan Tower — Rabat, Morocco

Photo: milosk50/Shutterstock

When Sultan Yaqub al-Mansur commissioned the Hassan Tower, it was to be the world’s tallest minaret, adjoining what was to be the world’s largest mosque. Construction ceased upon al-Mansur’s passing in 1199, just four years after the first marble tile was laid, leaving behind a 140-plus-foot minaret and hundreds of columns that give some indication as to the project’s original scope. Though the current record for the world’s tallest minaret belongs to a different Moroccan structure, the 650-plus-foot Great Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, this half-finished tower remains the most recognizable landmark in Morocco’s capital city, Rabat.

2. Mingun Pahtodawgyi — Myanmar

Photo: Avigator Fortuner/Shutterstock

Were it completed, this stupa might have broken records in the world of Buddhist architecture. As it stands, an imposing heap at around 170 feet tall, Mingun Pahtodawgyi managed to gain recognition as one of the world’s largest and most impressive unfinished monuments. Of note is the site’s bell, said to be the second-largest in the world. Unlike the stupa, the bell was completed before the project came to a halt following the death of King Bodawpaya, under whose orders construction began in 1790. There’s little chance this landmark will ever get finished, but the monolithic pagoda’s worth squeezing into your Myanmar travels anyway.

3. Siena Cathedral — Siena, Italy

Photo: Rastislav Sedlak SK/Shutterstock

When the Florence Cathedral, or Duomo, was completed in the 1430s, it became an instant icon of the Italian Renaissance. Siena’s Duomo, consecrated roughly two-and-a-half centuries earlier, never saw its completion date due to the arrival of the Black Plague in the 14th century. Even so, it’s a stunning example of Romanesque-Gothic architecture with an elaborate marble facade; a pulpit sculpted by Nicola Pisano, as well as four early Michelangelo sculptures near the altar; and statues, frescoes, stained-glass windows, and panels, among other works of art.

4. National Monument — Edinburgh, Scotland

Photo: Harald Lueder/Shutterstock

Unlike most national monuments, this unfinished memorial for the Scottish soldiers and sailors who lost their lives during the Napoleonic Wars is not a point of pride for the people of Edinburgh. It was designed in the exact image of Athens’ ancient Parthenon, a nod to Edinburgh’s “Athens of the North” nickname, though in the end, only 12 columns were erected due to lack of funding. Nonetheless, the monument is worth visiting for its Calton Hill location alone. Sharing the UNESCO-listed hilltop are landmarks like the Dugald Stewart, Nelson, and Robert Burns monuments; the City Observatory; and Holyrood Palace near the base. Plus, the view from the national monument is one of the best you’ll find in the Scottish capital.

5. Crazy Horse Memorial — Black Hills, South Dakota

Photo: Crazy Horse Memorial/Facebook

Not far from Mount Rushmore in the Black Hills of South Dakota, another, much larger, mountain-carved monument has been in the making for more than 70 years. It commemorates Oglala Lakota war leader Crazy Horse, who helped defeat General Custer at the Battle of the Little Bighorn and ultimately gave his life defending Native American land from the US government. More than just a tribute, the Crazy Horse Memorial started in protest of Mount Rushmore, which was built on sacred Lakota Sioux land. Eighty-seven feet of Crazy Horse’s face have already been carved, and work continues to this day. Some question if it should, and if Crazy Horse would approve of the landscape being defaced in his honor.

6. Ta Keo — Angkor, Cambodia

Photo: Arkady Zakharov/Shutterstock

Part of the Angkor temple complex outside Siem Reap in Cambodia, Ta Keo is a temple-mountain that’s impressive even in its incomplete state, despite being more of a chiseled hunk of sandstone than the ornately decorated holy site it was intended to be. Khmer ruler Jayavarman V ordered the temple to be built in honor of Shiva, envisioning a grand, tower-filled complex. It’s unclear why construction halted in the 11th century, but visitors can still admire the site’s five sanctuary towers, particularly the central tower, which reaches heights greater than 150 feet.

7. Cathedral of St. John the Divine — New York, New York

Photo: EQRoy/Shutterstock

Ground broke on this Manhattan cathedral in 1892. Over the years, there have been various debates over and changes to its design, as well as issues with construction. Most recently, a fire in 2001 caused damage, and since reopening in 2008, the cathedral has made no plans to resume its long-term building goals. Nonetheless, it was designated a New York City landmark in 2017 for its historical and architectural value. St. John the Divine also claims to be the largest cathedral in the world, a cathedral being a church that’s also the seat of a bishop. (St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City is the largest church in the world.)

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Greta Thunberg lookalike photo

Many people say that Greta Thunberg is wise beyond her years, but maybe that’s because she was actually born in the 19th century. That’ll sound like a completely ridiculous argument, until you see this photo from 1898, depicting a girl who bears a more-than-striking resemblance to the Swedish climate activist.

The photo from 121 years ago kept in the digital archives of the University of Washington shows three children at a gold mine during the Klondike Gold Rush in the Yukon Territory in Canada. Greta Thunberg’s look-alike (same round face and braided hair) is one of them. When the internet got ahold of it, they developed a theory that Greta Thunberg time traveled from 1898 to 2019 to save the world.

So, ‘Greta Thunberg’ is in a photo from 120 years ago, and it’s my new favourite conspiracy. Greta’s a time traveller, from the future, and she’s here to save us. pic.twitter.com/5ObTjPFXvk

— Jack – J.S. Strange (@JackSamStrange) November 18, 2019

Twitter isn’t exactly a reliable resource for information on photography, history, or time travel, but it’s certainly fun to speculate.


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The post This photo of a Greta Thunberg look-alike from 1898 is fueling speculation that she’s a time traveler appeared first on Matador Network.

The best and most famous pies in US

The United States is a pie-loving country. We eat it for dessert and the leftovers for breakfast. We argue about how and if to make homemade crust (and usually eat it regardless). We especially love pie around the holidays.

We reached out to pie makers from across the country, dug through government declarations, and drew on our personal experiences to find each state’s signature pie. Some states share a pie style, proving that even though states have their differences, we’re also alike in many ways. In some states there isn’t a clear-cut favorite (and there are surely disagreements among people who live in the state). Sometimes our choice was anything but conventional. And a little disclaimer: If it has pie in the name, it’s fair game. Regardless, we’re all winners when we’re eating pie.

These are the signature pies for every state in the US.

1. Alabama: Sweet potato pie

Photo: Lynne Ann Mitchell/Shutterstock

The South is known for its pies, and Alabama is no exception. It’s a region and state also known for its country music anthems. Few match up to “Song of the South” by the band Alabama, and there’s a shout-out to sweet potato pie right there in the second line and chorus (“sweet potato pie and I shut my mouth”). No, Alabama doesn’t grow the most sweet potatoes in the country and it hasn’t officially designated it as the state pie, but the latter should be seriously considered. Just try listening to the song without craving some warm, homemade sweet potato pie in a sleepy Alabama town. Though, it should be noted, Alabama’s state nut is the pecan, so don’t hesitate to associate pecan pie with the state either.

2. Alaska: Baked Alaska

Alaska has the lowest population density in the country, but its signature pie that holds its name was invented in the city with the country’s highest density: New York City. Baked Alaska, as the story goes, was invented at the restaurant Delmonico’s by French chef Charles Ranhofer. It was inspired by Secretary of State William Seward’s purchase of Alaska in 1867. The original name was Alaska, Florida to call out the temperature difference between the cold ice cream at the bottom and the warm toasted meringue on top. Baked Alaska rolls off the tongue much easier, and what better pie to represent the state than one created to celebrate Alaska’s statehood.

3. Arizona: Arizona Sunshine Lemon Pie

Arizona is the third largest producer of citrus in the US after Florida and California, and there are few better ways to beat the desert heat than dessert eaten inside with the air conditioning on. Food writer Jan D’Atri popularized the Arizona Sunshine Lemon Pie in 2010, and it’s the antidote to all the actual sunshine raining down from the Arizona skies pretty much year-round. It’s made by throwing an entire lemon (plus peel, minus seeds), egg, vanilla, and sugar into a blender and pouring the mix into a crust before baking. It’s tart, sweet, and a great way to celebrate the bounty of Arizona citrus.

4. Arkansas: Fried pie

Rather than a signature ingredient, Arkansas pie is defined by a signature style, says Kat Robinson, author of a number of books, including Arkansas Pie: A Delicious Slice of the Natural State and Another Slice of Arkansas Pie.

“I’d have to say if Arkansas has any particular pie, it’d be the fried pie,” Robinson says. “The handy foldover is good hot, but also stands well as a room temperature pie. You’ll find it in baskets near the cash register at diners and convenience stores, or served up with a scoop of ice cream at many restaurants.”

Apple and peach are the most popular fillings, but chocolate and coconut are common along with apricot, cherry, strawberry, pecan, and sweet potato.

5. California: Black bottom pies

Photo: Brent Hofacker/Shutterstock

According to the California Department of Food and Agriculture, more than two-thirds of the fruits and nuts grown in the US come from California. The state’s crop-friendly climate means it has long been the fruit and nut basket of the country. Not necessarily true when it comes to fruit pies, though.

“I think any traditional pie flavors represent more towards east and south states,” says Vince Kim, manager of Republic of Pie in Hollywood. “In my opinion, any hybrid flavor pies represents more of [the] diverse culture of California.”

History is on Kim’s side. In the 1920s and ‘30s, it was decided that for California’s pie industry to move forward, it had to leave the fruit behind. “Pie King” Monroe Boston Strause took over his family’s pie business in Los Angeles in 1919 at the same time people were turning more to cakes. So he pivoted. Strause created a hybrid sweet, fruit-free, and creamy pie made with a meringue topping and a crumbled chocolate crust. The black bottom (meaning chocolate) crust captured pie lovers’ attention. A 1997 story in the Los Angeles Times notes that, thanks to the black bottom pie, “Monroe Boston Strause was a household word — probably the last pie celebrity in our history.”

6. Colorado: Palisade peach pie

Palisade, Colorado, had the first Peach Day festival in 1909, and President William Howard Taft was the headline speaker. So even though Georgia owns the branding as the peach state, peach pie in Colorado deserves some love — especially during harvest season from June through October.

“Palisade peaches are the best in the world,” Frank Bonanno of Bonanno Concepts, which runs Wednesday’s Pie in Denver, says he’ll argue to his grave. “They release sugar to defend themselves from cold mountain nights, so they’re intensely sweet, hearty, and constantly trying to get the rest of the country to recognize their greatness. In short: each pie with a little Stranahan’s straight up. Yeah, that’s Colorado.”

7. Connecticut: Pumpkin pie

Connecticut is the nutmeg state. According to the , it got the name because, in the state’s early days, Southern customers would buy nutmegs without knowing they had to grate them and would say the Connecticut Yankees sold them wooden nutmegs. Another theory is that “early inhabitants had the reputation of being so ingenious and shrewd that they were able to make and sell wooden nutmegs,” which is a lot less flattering. Regardless, the nutmeg connection makes Connecticut a natural fit for pumpkin pie. According to some, it should get even more specific with maple (another classic New England ingredient), pumpkin, nutmeg, and pecan streusel.

“Pumpkin is Connecticut’s official state pie, and we take that love of pumpkin to a new level with the maple pumpkin with pecan streusel,” says Stephen Jarrett, manager of Michele’s Pies. It’s made with New England maple syrup, Connecticut pumpkins, nutmeg, and pecan streusel, “which captures the flavors and feelings of autumn that Connecticuters know best.”

8. Delaware: Peach pie

On the official website of the First State, you’ll find Delaware’s “miscellaneous symbols.” It gives helpful information such as the state beverage (milk) and the state star (Delaware diamond). Most importantly for this list is the state dessert: peach pie. The designation came on July 30, 2009, with Delaware Code Title 29 Section 321, which recognizes the role of peach farming in Delaware agriculture from Colonial years to now. Delaware actually produced the most peaches in the US in the late 1800s. The industry has been eclipsed by other states (California grows the most peaches in the US today), but it’s hard to argue with history.

9. Florida: Key lime pie

No state has a more obvious signature pie than Florida’s key lime pie. It was made official by the state government in 2006. The pie’s defining characteristic is the sweet key limes grown around Key West, Florida. Despite the connection, 14 state House of Representatives of the 120 who voted disagreed with making key lime pie the official state pie. Key lime pie eaters are happy for the recognition by the other 106.

10. Georgia: Peach pie

Photo: Tammy Venezia/Shutterstock

It’s hard to name a fruit as famous as the Georgia peach, despite the fact that the state has grown more blueberries than peaches over the last decade. Still, branding is branding. The peach is the official state fruit (as of 1995), the state’s nickname (“The Peach State”), and represents Georgia on the state’s quarter. You don’t need an explanation of why Georgia is so peachy about its peaches. All it takes is one bite of a juicy Georgia peach during peak season from a roadside stand.

11. Hawaii: Chocolate haupia pie

Haupia, a coconut pudding that’s a classic in Hawaii, mixes with chocolate (Hawaii is the only US state that grows chocolate) for this classic dessert. The origins of the ingredients make chocolate haupia pie an obvious choice, but pretty much any tropical pie is signature Hawaii, says Jan Hori, co-founder of Hawaiian Pie Company.

“[A pie] that represents Hawaii would be anything with a tropical flair,” Hori says. “People locally are really into the culture of food and sharing the flavors. For example, for us, we do a uala (similar to sweet potato and taro) pie and then we top it with a cream cheese topping — not your standard cream cheese — it’s got a flavor of coconut in it.”

During the holidays, Hori notes that pumpkin custard is a hit, and people stalk the Hawaiian Pie Company’s announcements for when the seasonal pies are released.

12. Idaho: Huckleberry pie

Huckleberries are the state fruit of Idaho, and there are some huckleberry species native to the state. It’s only natural then that huckleberry pie lands as Idaho’s signature pie. A fourth grade class proposed making it the state dessert in 2018, though state representatives were hesitant to vote on an official declaration. Nevertheless, the humble huckleberry has more than made its case for Idaho’s classic pie filling.

13. Illinois: Pumpkin pie

Pumpkin pie is the officially designated state pie of Illinois. Every state grows at least some pumpkins, according to the US Department of Agriculture, but pumpkins hold a special place in the hearts of people in Illinois. The state grows the most pumpkins in the US, and grows twice as many as the next four top producing states combined.

14. Indiana: Hoosier pie, also known as sugar cream pie

Hoosier pie, or sugar cream pie, has been Indiana’s state pie since 2009. It’s defined by the vanilla custard filling, and Indiana’s tourism board claims the connection goes back to the Amish and Shaker communities in the state in the 1800s.

15. Iowa: Strawberry rhubarb

Photo: Laura Bru

When asked about signature pies, Laura Bru, the Pie Lady of Iowa, took a couple of things into consideration. First, the experiences that she may have taken for granted. Second, all the people she has met and their choice pie and reaction at first bite. From that, she settled on strawberry rhubarb.

“Strawberry rhubarb is a unique flavor that can be found in this area with the rhubarb being Midwest grown,” Bru says. “The tart flavored stalk of the rhubarb being perfectly balanced with a sweet strawberry.” She adds that the style takes “people back to their childhoods as their grandma or mother is pulling out a hot pie from the oven with that unforgettable aroma plus that unmatched flavor.”

16. Kansas: Apple pie

Kansas is the heartland of the Midwest, and is therefore the heartland of things being as American as apple pie. There’s even a documentary on Kansas pies.

“Pie is soooo Midwest, Kansas!” says Elaine Van Buskirk of Upper Crust Pie Bakery. “It’s difficult to pick just one pie. I suppose the first thought that came to mind was apple. Not because we are known as a major apple producing state, but because its most representative of the heart of America.”

17. Kentucky: Derby pie

There are two minutes every year that people think about Kentucky more than any other time of the year. Those two minutes are during the Kentucky Derby. And just like the famous drink of the horse race, there is a famous pie called Derby pie. It’s essentially a pecan pie with chocolate chips and bourbon, and was invented at the Melrose Inn in 1950. Today, the trademark for the pie is owned by Kern’s Kitchen in Park City.

Despite the trademark, there are variations you can find across the state, like the one made by the Pie Queen of Bowling Green, Brie Golliher, who tops it off with a Kentucky crust cutout and skips the corn syrup in the recipe. “I use my grandma Sue’s pecan pie recipe (no corn syrup!), which has been passed down in my family for generations,” Golliher says. “Then I add a fine Kentucky bourbon and chocolate chips — not only does it visually represent the state, but the strong flavors of bourbon and chocolate make it taste quintessentially Kentucky.”

18. Louisiana: Natchitoches meat pie

In 2003, the Louisiana state legislature made a declaration: “There shall be an official state meat pie.” Furthermore, “the official state meat pie shall be the Natchitoches Meat Pie.” This savory food is similar to a hand pie or empanada. It gets its name from the northern Louisiana town of Natchitoches, a historic French settlement that has been shaped, just like the meat pies, by Native American, Spanish, and Southern influences.

19. Maine: Blueberry pie made with Maine blueberries

Maine’s official state pie is not just blueberry pie, but specifically blueberry pie made with Maine blueberries. And why not? It’s the official state fruit and the low-bush Maine blueberry is native to the region.

20. Maryland: The Baltimore Bomb

Photo: Dangerously Delicious Pies

Created by Baltimore’s Dangerously Delicious Pies, this city and state favorite is a vanilla custard pie with crumbled up Berger cookies inside. Berger cookies are a fudge-covered local favorite that’s been around for about 75 years, says Dangerously Delicious Pies’ Mary Martian Wortman. While the Baltimore Bomb wins out on the street front, Wortman also adds that a crab and cheddar quiche breakfast pie with crab meat and Old Bay seasoning is just as worthy as Maryland’s signature pie.

21. Massachusetts: Boston cream pie

While some argue that Boston cream pie is more cake than pie, the dessert gets the designation here because it’s right there in the name: Boston and pie. While it’s not the official pie of the state, it’s the official dessert and that’s good enough for us.

22. Michigan: Cherry pie

While Michigan doesn’t have an official state pie, cherry pie has a great case to be made. Michigan produces the most cherries in the US by many multiples. When the local Michigan Live news organization asked its state readers what the official state food should be, cherry pie came in at number nine and cherries landed at three.

23. Minnesota: Apple pie made with Honeycrisp apples

Minnesota’s state apple is the Honeycrisp, which was created by the University of Minnesota’s apple breeding program. The variety has taken over supermarkets today, but nowhere has a claim to the Honeycrisp like Minnesota, and no one has a claim on Honeycrisp apple pies like it either. These local, seasonal apples are all the more reason to claim the apple pie as Minnesota’s signature, says Anne Andrus, owner of Honey & Rye Bakehouse in Minneapolis.

24. Mississippi: Mississippi mud pie

Photo: excursionista.net/Shutterstock

Mississippi mud pie was not invented in Mississippi. Credit actually goes to Joanna Droeger, who first put it on the menu at her Long Beach, California, restaurant in the 1950s. Still, like with Alaska, when it’s in the name it’s hard to argue. A classic Mississippi mud pie has chocolate crust, whipped cream, and more chocolate on top. What’s not to love?

25. Missouri: Pawpaw cream pie

Missouri’s most famous dessert (and its official state dessert) is the ice cream cone, as the treat was debuted for the first time at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. When it comes to pie, though, you have to look to the pawpaw, which became the state’s official fruit tree in 2019. The pawpaw is similar to bananas, and the Asimina triloba species is native to Missouri. Is it the most ubiquitous pie ingredient in Missouri? No. It does have lineage, though.

26. Montana: Huckleberry pie

A cousin of the blueberry, huckleberries have a tart flavor. While these small, blue-purple berries grow across the northwestern part of the US (see: Idaho), they’re especially prized under Montana’s big sky. In the summer, the state holds a massive festival celebrating all things huckleberry, including jellies, jams, and, of course, desserts. Montana is also famous for Glacier National Park, a premier destination for outdoor enthusiasts. But the Glacier Highland Resort is also one of the best places to find huckleberry pie in this mountainous and rugged state.

27. Nebraska: Runza

Runza, also called bierock, is a hybrid between a sandwich and a savory hand-pie that’s filled with onions, cabbage, and ground beef. Nebraska has somehow managed to largely keep this hearty little pocket of deliciousness a secret from the rest of the country. Believe it or not, Catherine the Great might actually be responsible for the Nebraskan runza. She allowed German settlers into Russia, and they replaced the unleavened dough casing of pierogies with bread. Eventually, the migrant Germans, feeling unwelcome in Russia, immigrated to America’s Great Plains region and brought the runza with them. Fast forward to 1949, when a woman named Sarah Everett opened a small sandwich stand she called Runza, selling Polish sausages and its signature savory hand pies. Her quaint business idea turned out to be a hit, and today there are 78 Runza locations throughout Nebraska, solidifying the runza as the state’s speciality.

“The Runza is a staple in Nebraska…I think you could call it a pie,” Erin Lenz, a public information officer for Nebraska Tourism Commission, says. “I believe some people do refer to it as a Nebraska meat pie. There’s also a bakery in McCook, Nebraska, called Sehnert’s Bakery and Bieroc Café, that creates meat pies called bierocks and they received a James Beard America’s Classics Award for 2019.”

28. Nevada: Onion tart

Pies are a tricky business in Nevada, where the climate is unkind to stone fruits — the most common addition to pies. The state has compensated for its lack of pie-appropriate fruit by adapting one of its most abundant crops.

“There are onion farms in the Yerington and Mason Valley area, which are great for quiche or savory tarts,” says Chris Moran, a public relations specialist at Travel Nevada.

One of Nevada’s largest onion farms, Peri & Sons Farms, offers an elegant recipe for an onion tarte tatin made with eight roasted sweet onions and seasoned with balsamic vinegar and thyme.

29. New Hampshire: Whoopie pie

Whoopie pies reign supreme in New Hampshire, one of the four states to claim it invented this creamy, spongy delight. It’s only a pie by the loosest definition — whipped filling, like vanilla frosting or marshmallow fluff, spread between two discs of chocolate cake. It’s actually closer to a sandwich, if we’re being honest. But if people from New Hampshire call it a pie, we’ll give it a pass. Its name isn’t the only controversial aspect of this dessert. Its origins are also up for debate: While it’s generally believed to have been invented in New England, there’s some evidence that the first whoopie pies were cooked up in Boston or Lewiston, Maine, while Pennsylvanians claim the Amish are the dessert’s true inventors.

30. New Jersey: Tomato pie

Photo: HQuality/Shutterstock

Before you say anything, we know that tomato pie is technically a pizza. In New Jersey, however, pizzas are commonly known as pies. Walk into any neighborhood pizza parlor and you’re going to overhear someone order a “large pie.” So let’s let New Jersey take the lead on this and consider the pizza a tomato pie.

Jersey tomatoes are celebrated for a reason. These juicy, fire-engine red fruits can be as big as an adult fist, with a flavor that’s both sweet and a little tangy. The Garden State is famous for its outstanding produce, but the New Jersey tomato is a beautiful thing to behold. Eat tomato slices with a sprinkle of salt and pepper, or puree them to create nearly universally beloved tomato sauce. Spread it on dough, and you have something not unlike a pie. Pizza pie is so deeply rooted in New Jersey cuisine we would be remiss to not mention it here.

31. New Mexico: Frito pie

Frito pie, though also popular in Texas, is a true Santa Fe speciality. This classic Southwestern dish is a messy and ultra-satisfying combination of Frito chips slathered in pinto beans or chili and shredded cheese. Add chilies, onions, and diced tomatoes if you want to get really fancy. The lowbrow versions you find at summer camps and pit stops is served directly inside a bag of Fritos. Though some people think of the Frito pie as junk food, it’s actually the perfect vessel for the best of New Mexico’s ingredients: beans, chilies, and corn. The state’s tourism board even calls it “New Mexico in a bag.” It’s a relatively new invention, too, probably emerging in the 1960s, when it was first served at Woolworth’s department store from the chip bag. Today, one of the best places to try a slightly elevated Frito pie is at El Parasol restaurant in Española.

32. New York: Concord grape pie

You thought we were going to say cheesecake didn’t you? Goes to show how much you know about this state’s rich agricultural history. If you haven’t heard of grape pie, that’s likely because it’s a relative newcomer to the scene. It originated in the grape-heavy Finger Lakes region of New York state that’s also known for its wine grapes. Irene Bouchard, a resident of Naples, New York, since the 1940s (she passed away in 2015) is generally considered the mother of grape pie. In the early 1960s, Al Hodges, owner of Redwood Restaurant, recruited her to help him make her signature grape pies for his customers. Her recipes proved outrageously popular, and demand was so high she made as many as 17,000 pies every year, earning her the nickname “Grape Pie Queen of Naples. “

Monica Schenk is carrying on the Concord grape pie tradition in Naples at her shop, Monica’s Pies. “Grape pie should be the New York state pie,” she says. “We have so many grapes here and have not heard of any other area making grape pies.”

33. North Carolina: Sweet potato pie

Though sweet potatoes are beloved all over the South, this orange tuber is especially bountiful in North Carolina. Sweet potatoes are so revered in this state that they have their own nonprofit organization: the North Carolina SweetPotato Commission. The state has good reason to be proud of its sweet potatoes; it has been the largest producer of the vegetable in the US since 197. Hence the choice for sweet potato pie. One other notable case to have it as the signature pie: Sweet potato pies might have even helped fuel the state’s fishermen, who folded whole pies in half and ate them like sandwiches, according to the North Carolina Coastal Federation.

34. North Dakota: Chokecherry pie

If the name of North Dakota’s official state fruit doesn’t sound appetizing, it’s for good reason: These juicy, bright-red cherries have a bitter flavor that can make you cough if you eat a handful straight from the tree. These sour cherries make a delightful addition to pie, however. Chokecherries are beloved in North Dakota, and even carry the title of the state’s official fruit. There are plenty of chokecherry pies on hand at the North Dakota Chokecherry Festival, as well as a pit-spitting contest.

35. Ohio: Buckeye pie

Photo: Brent Hofacker/Shutterstock

This peanut butter and chocolate pie is inspired by a candy beloved by fans of Ohio State University’s football team (the college’s mascot is the buckeye, also known as the horse chestnut). Buckeye candies are simply little balls of peanut and chocolate and therefore easy to translate into pie form. The candies are a staple on game days, but industrious bakers have combined peanut butter and cheese cream for a decadent filling and topped the mixture with a chocolate glaze to create what is essentially one giant buckeye candy cradled in a pie crust. Other variations use chocolate pudding in the filling as well as the chocolate pie crust.

36. Oklahoma: Pecan pie

Folks in Oklahoma are so passionate about good food that the state has an official meal: barbecued pork, chicken-fried steak, and sausage with biscuits and gravy, with a side of fried okra, squash, grits, corn, and black-eyed peas. Oh, and don’t forget the cornbread. The dessert of choice following this decadent feast is pecan pie. One Oklahoma-based pie company, Fields, even claims to bake the “world’s best” pecan pie. The state grows around 17 million pounds of pecans every year, making a nutty destination rivaling even Texas.

37. Oregon: Marionberry pie

The marionberry — a tart and sweet relative of the blackberry that’s much larger in size — is an Oregonian through and through. A biologist named George F. Waldo, working for the Department of Agriculture in Corvallis, Oregon, cultivated the marionberry by crossbreeding two lesser known berries, the chehalem and olallieberry. Waldo named it after the place where first began growing: Marion County. The lab-grown fruit turned out to be a hit, and now 90 percent of marionberries are grown in Oregon. Oregonians agree that the best way to enjoy the marionberry is in pie, and in 2017 the Oregon legislature successfully petitioned to make this purple-hued dessert the state’s official pie.

38. Pennsylvania: Shoofly pie

This Pennsylvania Dutch creation is a favorite among the state’s Amish and Mennonite communities. Shoofly pie is especially popular in Lancaster County, where it first emerged around 1876. Originally, it was served in the morning alongside black coffee. The central ingredient in shoofly pie is molasses, giving it a rich, sweet and slightly bitter flavor and a sticky, gooey texture. There are many rumors as how this dessert acquired its unusual name, one being that bakers once had to swat, or “shoo,” away the flies that were attracted to the molasses. The likelier story is much stranger: A traveling circus act popular in Pennsylvania in the 1880s featured a mule named Shoofly, who gained such a loving following that he appeared on home goods like flour and molasses.

39. Rhode Island: Custard pie

This dessert is so iconic in Rhode Island that the state’s premiere Led Zeppelin cover band is called Custard Pie. At Gregg’s Restaurants, which has locations in Providence and Warwick, the custard pie is especially legendary. Equally as beloved are the custard pies at one of the state’s oldest bakeries, Wayland Bakery, which specializes in coconut custard pie. Custard pies have been a staple of New England cuisine since at least the mid-1800s. One of the first recipes for custard pie appeared in the 1845 edition of the The New England Economical Housekeeper.

40. South Carolina: Coconut cream pie

Photo: Maria Dryfhout/Shutterstock

Millers All Day in Charleston is legendary for its browned coconut cream pie. Some fans even claim it’s the best pie in the entire state. Others say Jestine’s Kitchen in Charleston is the home of the best coconut cream pie ever. South Carolina has a long history of whipping up decadent coconut cream pies. Here, coconut cream pie is ideally topped with toasted coconut flakes, while the custard filling sits in a graham cracker crust.

41. South Dakota: Kuchen

The name of this German dessert might translate as cake, but it qualifies as pie: Kuchen’s two central components are a thin crust accompanied by fruit or custard filling. Prune, rhubarb, peach, apple, and strawberry are all classic kuchen flavors. Hardworking immigrants brought kuchen to South Dakota in the 1880s. They settled mostly in McPherson County, which, thanks to their entrepreneurial spirit, became known as the “Wheat Capital of the United States.” In fact, the German community is so deeply rooted in McPherson County that German remained the first language spoken in many families for several generations. Today, the town of Delmont still holds an annual kuchen festival, and in 2000, the state designated kuchen its official dessert.

42. Tennessee: Chess pie

Tennessee culture varies by geography. The west of state is flat, while the east is marked by the Appalachian Mountains.

“We have three stars in our state flag and they represent the three distinct geographical areas of our state,” explains Chad Collier, owner of Papa C Pies, in Brentwood, Tennessee. “It is very conceivable that each portion of our state would give a different answer. That being said, here is what Middle Tennesseans would generally say: Chess pie.”

Chess pie, sometimes also known as jus pie, is so loved because its ingredients are simple, probably already in your pantry, and are easy to throw together. Simply combine butter, sugar, and eggs “with a little cornmeal for texture and a splash of vinegar for twang,” according to Collier.

“It’s akin to a buttermilk pie in that they are both a little sweet and a little sour, but the chess pie is its own entity,” he adds.

Though the exact origin of chess pie is up for debate, Collier cites one popular legend as a possibility: One night, a hungry traveler stopped by an inn called the Cherry Street Boarding House in Nashville. He arrived after the kitchen had stopped serving dinner. He was starving after his long journey, and he begged the proprietress (who in of the story is a freed slave working in Alabama) to serve him anything she had available. She brought a pie she had made to the table, and he scarfed it down. When he asked the name of her delicious creation, she simply shrugged and replied “I don’t know, it’s jes’ pie.”

43. Texas: Pecan pie

In 2013, Texas named pecan pie the state’s official pie. The pecan is revered in Texas, and the state has adopted the pecan tree as its official state tree, too. Twenty percent of all the pecans grown in the US come from Texas. Texans have good reason to lay claim to pecan pie (watch out Oklahoma!): Pies featuring pecans as a central ingredient first appeared in Texas-based cookbooks the 1880s. However, the dessert didn’t gain national recognition until the 1930s, when the Karo Syrup company began printing its pecan pie recipe on its labels. To this day, however, Texans think theirs is the best pecan pie in the country — and insist it can be served either warm or cold, with or without ice cream. But it should always be made with Texas pecans and include chocolate.

44. Utah: Idleberry pie

A visit to Utah must include a stop at Idle Isle Cafe in Brigham City, home of the idleberry pie. An idleberry isn’t a berry itself, but rather a mashup of a few classic favorites: blueberries, blackberries, and boysenberries. Visitors mention that a meal at Idle Isle Cafe, which will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2021, is worth making a detour in your travel plans. The pie in particular is reason enough.

“Each of our pies are made from scratch,” explains the cafe’s current owner, Travis Porter. “My wife makes the pies. This was something that was passed on from her mother, the cafe’s previous owners.”

Porter calls his cafe a “diamond in the rough.” Though he’s met customers who’ve traveled from all over the country just to try his wife’s pie, he says that Idle Isle has managed to remain off the mainstream radar since it opened. That means it hasn’t become a tourist trap, but Porter does hope the cafe gains more widespread recognition.

“Our idleberry pie captures the care and the dream that has helped the Idle Isle Cafe endure for almost 100 years,” he says. “We create an atmosphere where people can reflect on their past, the memories of their childhood, as well as create new memories with kids and grandkids. It’s a treat worth the trip.”

45. Vermont: Apple pie

Photo: Brent Hofacker/Shutterstock

Vermont is the place to go if you love fall weather, watching the leaves change color, and apples. The apple is the official fruit of Vermont, and, in 1999, the state made apple pie its official state pie, too, usurping Washington as the apple capital of America. Vermonters are highly specific about how their apple pie should be served. Official state legislature dictates that Vermont apple pie should be served with at least one of the following: a glass of milk, a slice of Vermont cheddar cheese (shout out to Vermont’s other most famous food product), or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

46. Virginia: Peanut pie

This salty-sweet pie is best enjoyed in Virginia, where the peanuts are fattier and served saltier than anywhere else in the country. Sometimes unfairly mocked as the “poor man’s pecan pie,” the peanut pie remains beloved in both North Carolina and Virginia, but it’s in the latter that this dessert really thrives. The Virginia Diner in Wakefield, located near the state’s first-ever commercial peanut farm, is especially famous for its peanut pie, which has a caramelized peanut brittle-esque topping made from roasted peanuts. This crunchy topping is reminiscent of another enduring American snack: Cracker Jacks.

“Peanuts and Virginia are synonymous with each other, so it should come as no surprise that our most sought after pie features these perfectly crunchy and salty nuts,” says Andrew Whisler, the president of Virginia Diner. “Peanut pie is the ideal balance of creamy, caramelized sugars combined with the savory crunch and taste of peanuts all in a flaky, buttery crust. Virginia is known as the peanut capital of the world since first introducing peanuts into commercial production in the early 1800s, and to this day our peanuts are the largest, best tasting peanuts you’ll find in the market.”

47. Washington: Loganberry pie

Washington is rightfully praised for its abundance of apples, but it’s the humble loganberry that stands out from the crowd when it comes to pie. This blackberry-raspberry hybrid is delightfully tart, and though it originated in Santa Cruz, California, it once thrived on Whidbey Island. Whidbey’s Greenbank Farm, once home to the largest loganberry farm in the country, is now the site of Whidbey Pies & Cafe. The owner, Joe, grew up baking with his mother Jan, the cafe’s original owner. In the mid-1980s, she served her loganberry pies alongside crab cakes and smoked salmon. In 2016, Joe bought the business from his mother, and now makes around 75,000 pies every year — all handmade.

48. West Virginia: Vinegar pie

Vinegar isn’t typically an ingredient you find accompanying desserts, but this beloved West Virginia pie is one exception. Vinegar pie epitomizes Appalachian cuisine by making use of cheap ingredients and those readily available in a pantry. According to food writer Mike Costello, vinegar pie emerged as one of many “desperation pies,” created to fit the financial constraints of the Great Depression. The vinegar, pressed from apples, and spiced with nutmeg, mimicked the tart sweetness of lemon at a time when the citrus fruit wasn’t widely available. Costello praises the creativity of Appalachian cooks, writing that he prefers to call recipes like the one for vinegar pie “innovation pies.”

49. Wisconsin: Apple pie baked in a bag

This nifty little innovation from the master bakers at The Elegant Farmer has been called one of the best pies in America by the likes of the Food Network and the Wall Street Journal. At this farmhouse and bakery in Mukwonago, bakers bake their pies in a small paper bag. Steam becomes trapped in the bag, creating a crunchy, crispy layer of crust on top while leaving the apples inside tender and juicy. The Elegant Farmer is one of the only bakeries to produce pies en masse using this method, but this recipe isn’t its invention. Turns out this is a traditional method for baking pies, though home bakers prefer to use a brown paper bag from the grocery store. As long as the bag doesn’t touch the top of the oven, it won’t catch on fire.

50. Wyoming: Rhubarb pie

Photo: Monarexx/Shutterstock

Wyoming is better known for its majestic mountain ranges than its pies, but rhubarb grows prolifically in places like Jackson Hole and Sheridan. This tart, magenta plant is used throughout the state in a variety of dishes including jams, cakes, barbecue sauce, and, of course, pies. In Wyoming, rhubarb doesn’t stand alone, however. It’s often combined with strawberries, raspberries, or custard to produce delicious pies in the spring. One type of pie Wyomingites do not entertain? Rhubarb meringue pie, according to Jackson Hole-based writer Doreen Tome. And some of the very best rhubarb pies in Wyoming, such as raspberry rhubarb and rhubarb ginger crunch, come from a small restaurant near a gas station in the tiny town of Dubois — population just over 900 people — called Cowboy Cafe.


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American pie history

Pie is a cornerstone of American culture, as inalienable from the national identity as our fundamental rights.

Every November, we argue not if we should serve pie but rather which pie, pumpkin or pecan, deserves to grace the hallowed Thanksgiving table. An American mouth is a “pie hole,” one that’s likely belted the lyrics to “American Pie” at a karaoke bar. The Declaration of Independence may as well read “life, liberty, and the pursuit of filled pastry.”

Like America itself, however, pie’s origins trace back to the Old World.

Pie crust has roots in Ancient Greece, same as American democracy. Early iterations of the desserts we drool over today traveled from medieval Europe, where they were predominantly savory. In the words of famed abolitionist Harriet Beecher Stowe, pie is “an English institution which, when planted on American soil, forthwith ran rampant and burst forth into an untold variety of genera and species.”

Perhaps the most delicious way to study American history is by looking back at the nation’s favorite pies from the colonial era to now, many of which might just be due for a comeback.

1. Marlborough pie: The start of a new nation

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The phrase should really be “as American as Marlborough pie.”

Early English settlers brought more than just the concept of pie to the New World. They also introduced sweet apples to the colonies, where previously only crab apples grew. English seeds took to the northeastern soil, and it wasn’t long before colonists were desperate to find ways to use up all their apples.

One method was Marlborough pie, a custardy cousin of America’s most iconic dessert that was historically made with nearly spoiled apples. Though a recipe for apple-custard pie appeared in Robert May’s The Accomplisht Cook in mid-17th-century England, the earliest written American Marlborough pie recipe comes from Amelia Simmons’s 1796 American Cookery, which is believed to be the first cookbook authored by an American and printed in the US.

By the 1800s, sweet pies were well established as America’s preference. Chief among them in the Northeast was Marlborough pie, which appeared in several 19th-century cookbooks as a combination of apples, lemons, brandy or sherry, butter, sugar, and eggs to thicken the filling.

In A New England Boyhood, published in 1900, Massachusetts-born Edward Everett Hale writes, “To this hour, in any old and well-regulated family in New England, you will find there is a traditional method of making Marlborough pie,” which, he goes on to say, was eaten “at other times, but we were sure to have them on Thanksgiving Day.”

No need to toss out your family’s pumpkin pie recipe for authenticity’s sake when the holidays come around, however. According to food historian Sarah Wassberg Johnson, “Pumpkin pie is unique in that it is distinctly American.” Not one but two recipes appear in Simmons’ American Cookery, Johnson notes, marking “the first time ever that pumpkin pie is in print.”

2. Shoofly pie: Early immigrant culture shapes the first 100 years

Photo: George Sheldon/Shutterstock

European immigrants established settlements up and down the East Coast throughout the colonial era. Religious freedom was a driving force behind the move, famously landing the pilgrims on the shores of Cape Cod in 1620. Later that century, through the early 1800s, German and Swiss immigrants fleeing religious persecution flocked to Pennsylvania, whose Quaker founder, William Penn, promoted religious tolerance.

Though not from the Netherlands, these settlers would come to be known as the Pennsylvania Dutch, and they’d contribute the shoofly pie to America’s sweet-treat canon.

An early, crustless version of shoofly pie was unveiled in Philadelphia in 1876 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. It was, appropriately, coined Centennial Cake. The recipe quickly spread beyond the city to the Pennsylvania Dutch, who added pastry dough to make the gooey, crumbly cake easier to eat with morning coffee.

Molasses is the main ingredient in shoofly pie. Some posit that this explains its name, as the filling would attract flies as it cooled. According to Jonathan Deutsch, author of We Eat What? A Cultural Encyclopedia of Unusual Foods in the United States, “the name ‘shoofly pie’ did not come into use until the 1880s and is not seen in print until 1926.” Deutsch cites several theories as to its origin, such as the name being a reference to the erstwhile Shoofly Molasses brand or Shoofly the Boxing Mule, part of a popular traveling circus in the late 1800s.

In and around Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, otherwise known as Amish country, it’s still possible to find shoofly pie. Dutch Haven off Route 30, established in 1936, even claims to make its famous, wet-bottom shoofly pie from the original recipe.

3. Peanut pie: A tale of colonialism, slavery, and innovation

Photo: Maryna Kovalchuk/Shutterstock

Peanuts have a long, circuitous history in what is now the US. Native to South America, they arrived in the American South by way of the 18th-century slave trade, having first been brought to Africa by Portuguese traders. Peanuts were grown commercially in the Tidewater region of Virginia and North Carlina but were initially regarded as a poor man’s food, primarily used for oil, as a substitute for cocoa, or to feed livestock.

In the early 1900s, George Washington Carver, an American agricultural scientist and inventor who was born into slavery, became a public figure after appearing in front of Congress in support of a peanut tarriff, having developed around 300 peanut-based products ranging from soaps and lotions to cooking and salad oils, flour, milk, paper, paste, and wood stain.

It’s unclear when the first peanut pie was baked. References appear in print as early as 1887, and by the 1940s, an advertisement for Karo corn syrup includes a recipe for Deep South Peanut Pie like they make in Dixie, where the ad claims it was invented. The recipe calls for eggs, Karo Syrup, salt, vanilla, sugar, melted butter or margarine, and shelled peanuts.

A relative of pecan pie, peanut pie doesn’t show up on many menus these days, though it does still make appearances in restaurants throughout the South. None is as famous as the Virginia Diner, a company that’s also the self-proclaimed “Peanut Capital of the World,” located in Wakefield, Virginia. Though similar to the Karo ad’s recipe, the diner’s version specifically calls for Virginia peanuts, which are the meaty, crunchy kind we’re used to seeing at ballparks.

4. Icebox pie: Urbanization changes the way we eat

Photo: Irina Meliukh/Shutterstock

Nineteenth-century America saw two Industrial Revolutions and the Civil War. Among the war’s causes was the economic disparity between the South, which relied on slave labor, and the North, which was rapidly urbanizing and had made a series of technological breakthroughs in the first half of the century that created a demand for wage laborers.

Samuel Sater is often credited with starting the Industrial Revolution when he opened America’s first industrial mill in Massachusetts in 1791. Next came the cotton gin, then the steamboat, telegraph, and transportation networks like railroads and canals. A second boom arose after the war, resulting in bigger cities, more factories and machines, and the introduction of electric power, which led to innovations like the telephone in the late 1800s.

Much as the shift from agrarian to urban changed the way Americans worked, it changed the way they ate. Workers started brown-bagging lunches. People began buying more and making, or raising, less, relying on convenience foods “designed to replicate items that previously would have been very labor-intensive to produce,” explains food historian Sarah Johnson.

Smack in the middle of it all is the icebox pie, so named for the early refrigerator it was cooled in. A precursor to the modern refrigerator, which first came onto the scene in the 1940s, the icebox was commercialized in the mid-19th century as city dwellers lost the ability to harvest ice. Unsurprisingly, the desserts of the day capitalized on this early refrigeration.

Icebox pies are frozen pies that often incorporate gelatin so as to set without heat. (Jell-O was trademarked in 1897.) They first became popular around the turn of the 20th century, appearing in various flavors, with lemon quickly establishing itself as a quintessential take.

5. Mock apple pie: Desperation pies during the Great Depression

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When a nation prospers, its people eat well. After World War I came to a close, ending with it the practice of food conservation, Americans jettisoned into the Roaring Twenties, an era of indulgence à la The Great Gatsby that ran on Champagne and cocktails despite Prohibition.

The country’s economic stability was short-lived, however. When the stock market crashed in 1929, food culture shifted from extravagance to essentials, forcing home cooks to create new recipes using whatever ingredients they had on hand.

“Desperation pies” or “make-do pies” are a time-honored American tradition in meager times. Southern classics like chess and buttermilk pie require only basic ingredients, such as butter, sugar, eggs, flour, and buttermilk. Vinegar pies, made with tangy cider vinegar, became substitutes for lemon meringue pies. During the Great Depression, some bakers even resorted to making water pie, which has a filling made from just water, flour, sugar, and butter.

In 1934, just as the nation was beginning to recover from the worst of the financial crisis, the National Biscuit Company, or Nabisco, launched Ritz Crackers. Shortly after, the brand began advertising a recipe for Ritz Mock Apple Pie on its boxes, offering a thrifty dessert alternative at a time when apples were hard to come by.

The original recipe calls for Ritz Crackers to be broken up and placed in a pie crust, slathered in a lemon sugar syrup, topped with pats of butter or margarine and a dusting of cinnamon, then covered with a pie lid and baked. The result looks like an apple pie, smells like an apple pie, and supposedly even tastes like an apple pie, despite the primary fruit flavor being lemon.

Mock apple pie remained popular throughout World War II when, again, fresh apples were not always an option. The recipe appeared on Ritz Cracker boxes even decades later.

6. Grasshopper pie: Sweet, processed, and alcohol-filled abundance

Photo: teekaygee/Shutterstock

The post-World War II era largely defined modern America’s eating habits. It was a time of adjustment as soldiers returned home from being stationed abroad and women returned to being homemakers after having joined the workforce. Families moved to the suburbs and started shopping at supermarkets stocked with processed, prepared, and homogenized foods.

In 1954, Swanson & Sons rolled out the TV dinner. In 1957, Pillsbury launched ready-made cookie dough. Tang, Cheez Whiz, and the first frozen pizzas also hit the shelves in the 1950s. Following the creation of the Interstate Highway System under President Eisenhower, the country also saw a spike in fast food, as well as chain motels and the beloved road trip.

According to Darra Goldstein, author of The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets, the grasshopper pie also hit the scene in the 1950s, when Mad Men-style advertising targeting a new type of domestic goddess teamed up with the Mad Men-style drinking culture to create a mod-green, liqueur-infused pie that’s reminiscent of mint chip ice cream.

Grasshopper pie gets its name from the cocktail that inspired its ingredients: creme de menthe, creme de cacao, and cream, which are to be shaken with ice and strained into a cold glass. Tujague, a restaurant in Louisiana’s French Quarter, claims to have created the cocktail, crediting Philibert Guichet, whose family bought the bar from its original owners and who’s said to have invented the drink for a New York City cocktail competition in 1918.

Both the drink and pie had already begun flaming out of fashion by the 1960s. Yet, as a no-bake pie, this one notably carried the icebox pie tradition into the next generation. Chances are, it’s not a coincidence that frozen pies started making a comeback shortly after electric refrigerators became common household appliances.

7. French silk pie: A new era that looks back

Photo: Brent Hofacker/Shutterstock

Don’t let the name fool you. French silk pie is all American.

In 1951, Betty Cooper placed in a Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest with a pie filled with chocolate mousse. Though not seen often these days, French silk pie had some staying power, appearing in cookbooks like Bon Appetit’s 1986 Pies and Tarts and Better Homes and Gardens’ New Cook Book a decade later, albeit in a no-fat version. Around the same time, the more rudimentary pudding pie, made with instant mix, also had its moment on the dessert stage.

Looking at history through the lens of pie informs not just where we’ve been, but where we’re going. In 2015, for example, Bon Appetit published a feature on the return of desperation pies. Like all trends, America’s favorite pies will continue to change over time, incorporating new and old influences and pushing culinary boundaries.

Lucky for us, though, we’re unlikely to see the day an old-fashioned American diner isn’t serving up a warm slice of something à la mode in our lifetime.


More like this: The globe-spanning, coffin-inspired history of pie crust

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How to survive a blizzard in a car

As winter travel revs up this month, lots of us may find ourselves out driving through snow-filled mountains in conditions we’re not comfortable with. Not to say you’re going to run off the road in a blizzard, but if you do, there are some things you can do both before and during to help your chances of survival.

Matt Napiltonia is a former Navy SEAL who spent over eight years doing rescues and evacuations in Afghanistan as both a SEAL and civilian. He’s now the Senior Operations Manager at Global Rescue, a medical security and evacuation service tasked with pulling people out of difficult situations in highly remote places. He’s seen a lot of what it takes to survive over the years and offered us some tips on how to withstand getting stuck in a freak winter snowstorm.

1. Fuel up your car.

If you’re the type of person who likes to play the how-far-past-empty-can-we-get game, usually the consequences if you lose are, at worst, an embarrassing walk down the highway. In a blizzard, the stakes are a lot higher.

“I hear from people all the time who run out of fuel in the mountains,” says Napiltoinia. “How the … if it’s 20 degrees outside, and it’s snowing, fuel up your car!”

Not only is this important so you don’t find yourself stranded in the middle of an icy country road, but it’s also important should you crash. The amount of gas in your car determines the amount of time you’re able to run the engine and stay warm. The more gas, the toastier it’ll be.

2. Stay put.

“One of the things people do, if they’re in the woods or off the road, they won’t stay put. In many respects, that can be the kiss of death,” Napiltonia warns. “Imagine you’re in a whiteout, and you don’t have service, and you can’t geolocate yourself, and you don’t know if it’s five miles or 50 miles to the next town. Most people aren’t prepared to actually hump out in a blizzard and bite off more than they can chew. And then they’re exposed to the elements.”

Tempting as it may be to try and hoof it back to civilization, your car provides some shelter from the elements and is ultimately a safer place to be. Napiltonia also points out that if you’re near a road, typically law enforcement, a snowplow, a farmer, or some enterprising motorist will come by within 48 hours. So he suggests waiting at least that long before thinking about leaving.

3. Pack a marker panel.

Napiltonia suggests bringing a fluorescent orange or pink marker panel along with some 550 parachute cord to tie it to your car.

“It’s no different than what a downed aircraft would have,” he says. “Tie that to one end of the car and the roof of your vehicle, and you can be seen from above.”

4. Bring water, a lighter, and a metal cup.

Hydration can ultimately become the most important factor in surviving an extreme circumstance, especially with the energy your body expends trying to stay warm in a blizzard. Napiltonia says having at least a gallon is a must but also advises preparing for when it runs out.

The good news about being stuck in a blizzard is you don’t have to go far to find water. The bad news is that it may not always be safe to drink, and in some circumstances, temperatures may be too cold for it to melt. Bringing along a lighter and a metal cup will allow you to not only melt the snow, but also boil it to ensure its safety.

5. Throw kitty litter or sandbags in the trunk.

This isn’t just so your pet has a place to do his business. It’s so you can lay it down in the snow and possibly gain some traction should your car still be ready to drive.

“You always want to bring a shovel,” he adds. “A fold-up shovel or snow shovel so you can dig yourself out and that bag of sand or kitty litter will help you get some traction. I’ve been able to do that once before.”

If you’re feeling strong, he also suggests packing a substantial amount of sand in bags and putting it in the back of your car. This will keep the back end weighted down, making your car easier to handle in the snow, and less likely to run off the road.

6. Carry a survival kit.

In addition to the aforementioned kitty litter, water, and fire-starting equipment, Napiltonia also stresses the importance of packing a bag of smaller items you may need in case of a blizzard.

“I also bring a small ax and saw, and it’s all in a backpack in the back of my two cars,” he says. “I also bring jumper cables, a first-aid kit, a whistle, and duct tape … and a big thick scarf, it really keeps the wind off of you.”

He also advises including a spare cell phone battery. This might seem pointless given snowbound country roads generally don’t have much in the way of cell service. But it may prove crucial should you find yourself having to walk to safety.

“If it’s been 48 hours and nobody’s come to get you, and you think you’re fit enough, you may have to hike out to the road,” he says. “And cell service may pick up at some point, and then you’ll need that charge.”

7. Clear your exhaust pipe.

When a vehicle runs off the road, especially in the woods, it’s not at all uncommon for dirt, wood, rocks, and other debris to clog up the exhaust pipe. Under normal circumstances, it’s not terribly important unless you’re planning to run the engine. But when you’re using your vehicle as an all-important source of heat, you need to make sure carbon monoxide isn’t getting into the car.

“You may need to stay in that vehicle where you keep the vehicle warm, turn it on in intervals to keep heat in,” he says. “You don’t wanna block the pipe because of a carbon monoxide gas backup.”

8. Layer up, and get the heaviest sleeping bag you can afford.

“People need to pack the highest quality sleeping bag they can afford,” he says, beginning his advice on cold-weather clothing. “They need to stuff that in the back of the vehicle, along with long underwear, a fleece, and a heavy jacket — something you can stay in 0-20 degrees for long periods of time.”

Granted, most winter travelers likely have this on them already, but it always pays to have it handy. He also recommends bringing along a pair of boots to trudge through the snow in case that becomes necessary.

9. Keep a resilient mindset.

“The human soul is resilient, and 99 percent of survival is mental,” says Napiltonia. “It’s no different than being a SEAL and getting through SEAL training. If you can mentally keep yourself in the game, you can survive almost anything if you have the stuff I told you to take. But if you have a weak mind and a weak demeanor, you’re probably still going to die.”


More like this: How to survive if you get lost in the woods, according to people who’ve done it

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Pre-Soviet-era Ukranian dishes

For too many people, Ukrainian cuisine boils down to borscht. And while the beetroot soup is hands down a staple, there’s more to the country’s cuisine, which was largely created by farmers and peasants in need of hearty meals.

Down-to-earth and filling, Ukrainian food is rich in root veggies, grain, pork, and dairy. Stewed for hours in ceramic pots, sizzling in sunflower oil or lard, and baked in massive wood ovens, traditional dishes use little to no spices but come with abundant sour cream and dill.

While all of that may sound like a vegan nightmare, Ukrainian cuisine is easily adapted to a meatless diet. Because of the endless fasting seasons in Eastern Orthodox Christianity, and because meat and dairy were deemed a luxury, everyday food was often plant-based. So if you shiver at the thought of pork fat, the best time to try Ukrainian food is the Great Lent. Most restaurants offer plant-based menus at that time, including traditional food sans the sour cream.

Regardless of your diet, you’ll find something to your taste in Ukrainian cuisine. These seven classic dishes are a good start for your quest.

1. Varenyky (Вареники)

Photo: EZBE/Shutterstock

Varenyky are similar to Polish pierogi, a name more familiar to the Western ear. These large, thick dumplings come with all kinds of fillings. Savory ones are stuffed with mashed potatoes, ground meat, liver, sauerkraut, or mushrooms and taste best with crispy onions and fried pork belly on top. Sweet varenyky can be filled with cottage cheese, apples, ground poppy seeds, cherries, and other berries, and they often appear on breakfast menus. No Christmas Eve dinner is complete without varenyky, but because of Lent, the fillings are often exclusively plant-based.

2. Holubtsi (Голубці)

Photo: Nid Goloti/Shutterstock

These cabbage rolls, stuffed with meat and rice and cooked in tomato sauce until they turn soft and juicy, are the perfect comfort food. It’s a dish you spend several hours cooking, so this dish is usually prepared in large pots that can last a family for a couple days. A big cabbage is steamed until the leaves turn soggy and are easy to separate, and soft parts of the leaves are then stuffed with rice and ground pork and rolled. Some people like their holubtsi floating in tomato gravy; others serve them with sour cream. Regardless, it usually comes with dill on top.

3. Kholodets (Холодець)

Photo: Julia Baturina/Shutterstock

Kholodets is one of the Ukrainian foods that might be least familiar to Americans. This dish resembles Jell-O — except that its made from meat stock. The broth is so thick and rich in natural gelatin that it turns into jelly when put in a fridge. To achieve this richness and texture, a pig trotter (that’s the foot of the pig) is boiled for hours with garlic and meat, and then chunks of meat and the broth are distributed into bowls and cooled off.

The meat jelly goes well with grated horseradish, a Ukrainian condiment that tastes a bit like wasabi. Because kholodets takes so long to cook, it’s considered a treat, and because it’s so rich and needs cold to stay jellified, it’s usually reserved for winter festivities.

4. Deruny (Деруни)

Photo: Barvista/Shutterstock

Deruny, latkes, draniki, Kartoffelpuffer — potato pancakes have many names and are popular in Europe and beyond. But Ukrainians have a special place in their hearts for deruny. So much so that a town called Korosten, 100 miles north of Kiev, holds an annual International Deruny Festival. This crispy dish is usually served with sour cream, but you should also try deruny baked in a pot with mushrooms or meat on top.

5. Uzvar (Узвар)

Photo: PhotoRR/Shutterstock

Uzvar is polarizing. This beverage is made by boiling dried apples and pears, raisins, prunes, and honey — the fruit can vary, as long as it’s dried. The resulting brew has a golden-brown color and a sweet-and-sour taste, often with notes of smoke. It’s the smokey flavor that makes the drink hit or miss with in Ukranian communities, but if you like prunes and mezcal, you’ll likely enjoy uzvar.

6. Bograch (Бограч)

Photo: mytrykau/Shutterstock

Historically, most of Ukraine’s population was peasants who worked the land and lived off its fruit. However, the Carpathian mountains were populated by shepherds. Thanks to those Carpathian highlanders, called the Hutsuls, Western Ukraine has a cuisine of its own.

Bograch, sometimes also known as shepard’s soup, is one of the most popular and well known Hutsul dishes. Hungarian nomads have probably been eating bograch for thousands of years, and the soup is still popular through the Carpathian region, from Poland to Hungary to Ukraine. This thick goulash-like soup is cooked with meat, potatoes, paprika, green peppers, and tomatoes, and it’s the only somewhat spicy dish in this part of the world.

7. Banush (Бануш)

Photo: Magnago/Shutterstock

Another Hutsul favorite, banush is a thick cornmeal porridge served with sour cream and bryndza, or sheep milk cheese. According to Hutsul tradition, banush should be cooked on an open fire and only by men because, among these nomadic tribes, men handle everything pertaining to sheep. The process is simple but requires stamina: Fine cornmeal is added to boiling cream, and when it thickens, it’s vigorously stirred and smashed with a wooden spoon until there are drops of oil on the surface. Banush can come with other toppings, like stir-fried mushrooms or crispy pork belly, but sour cream and bryndza are all-time favorites.


More like this: The ultimate eating guide to Kiev, Ukraine

The post 7 traditional Ukrainian dishes that aren’t borscht appeared first on Matador Network.

World’s tallest indoor climbing wall

In another superlative achievement, the United Arab Emirates will be home to the world’s tallest indoor climbing wall, as well as the biggest indoor skydiving flight chamber.

Part of indoor adventure venue Clymb Abu Dhabi, the new experiences are set to open on November 29. The climbing wall, called The Summyt, will be 141 feet high, but there are five walls of varying heights to accommodate guests of all experience levels. At 104 feet high and 32 feet wide, the flight chamber will be the world’s widest, and will also cater to people of all experience levels — from 3-year-olds to professional skydivers.

But if you’re not into hair-raising activities, there are several cafes and shops in The Summyt to keep you entertained.

Photo: Miral

Located on the attraction-packed, man-made Yas Island, Clymb is just as impressive from the outside as it is from the inside. The angular, multi-faceted structure looks straight out of the future.


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