Not only is pie an iconic American dessert, it is a staple of many diner menus. Pie is simple and old fashioned – the perfect dessert to pair with your classic diner meal. While cakes have become increasingly showy and complex with elaborate decorations, pie is content to be unassuming and delicious.
Pie has been around long before diners, with the first appearing around 9500 B.C. Early pies consisted of grains such as oats and barley encasing a honey filling. It is believed that the ancient Greeks first used a flour pastry to wrap around meat, creating savory pies that were suitable for taking on long journeys.
Pies have been an important part of American food culture. There are even a number of superstitions regarding pie. Some of these old timey tales include:
• If you eat the point of a piece of pie first, you will be an old maid.
• If you take the last piece of pie on a plate you will get a handsome husband or beautiful wife.
• It is a bad omen to eat mince pie before Christmas Eve.
• Cutting into a piece of pie with a knife is bad luck, it is better to bite into the pie.