From 'Coffin' to Cutie: How Pie Got a Glow-Up in Colonial America

Let's talk pie. Seriously, who doesn't love a good slice? But the pie our colonial great-great-great-grandparents ate was extremely different from the flaky, fruit-filled fabulousness we know today.

Come back in time with me to see how pie went from a sturdy English workhorse to a slender American delight.

The English Coffin

Imagine a pie crust so tough you'd rather use it as a serving platter than eat it. That was typical of the English culinary style.

Back in 17th and 18th century Britain, pie wasn't usually dessert; it was a way to cook and preserve stuff (mostly meat and game). They called the thick, non-edible crust a "coffin." As a boy I know once said, "It's not tasty."

The crust's job was simply to hold the filling and protect it during long cooking times. Food historian Sarah Lohman wrote that the crust was so thick and hard, "it was discarded after the filling was eaten." It was like an Renaissance Crock-Pot and Snapware container all in one.

American Pie

When the English settlers arrived in the New World, they wanted not just tea, but their beloved pies. The problem? Wheat was scarce!

The colonists couldn't afford to waste flour on those thick, beefy "coffins." They had to get creative and, more importantly, frugal. This scarcity became the mother of a much better invention: the thin, edible crust.

As culinary historian Joyce White points out, "Colonial cooks had to economize, and that meant making thinner crusts."

What an unintended upgrade! Suddenly, pie was less about storage and more about deliciousness. The crust became a partner to the filling, not a protective suit of armor. Plus, they started using local goodies like indigenous game and foraged fruits—hello, pumpkin and squash pies!

Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Pie

The colonial love affair with pie was truly impressive. Especially in New England, pie wasn't just a sweet treat; it was a daily staple, often showing up for breakfast, lunch, and dinner—and maybe even a little bedtime snack! This constant consumption cemented pie as a symbol of American abundance and resilience. As The New York Times proudly declared in 1903, "Pie is the American synonym of prosperity and its varying contents the calendar of the changing seasons… Pie is the food of the heroic. No pie-eating people can ever be permanently vanquished." It's a culinary heritage worth embracing, and I'm proud to belong to a nation of pie-eating people and to continue the tradition of making them.