As American as Apple Pie…

One of the very first desserts I learned to bake was apple pie. It was a Dutch style apple pie, like the one above, which made it easier since the crust wasn’t pastry, but a nice crumb mixture of brown sugar, butter, oats and flour. It’s still one of our favorite pies!

The apple pie is one of the most commonly made pies and one of the most famous. The apple pie didn’t start its life in America though it has become a symbol of America. The apple pie, as well as many other fruit pies, started out their history way back in the medieval ages of Europe. From there, the idea of fruit pies came with the European settlers wherever they went. Because apples were so popular with the American colonists and settlers they became a national part of our cuisine. But the apple pie did not start being recognized as a symbol of America until the turn of the century. “As American as apple pie” as they say.

The apple pie history carried on from there. In the Great Depression, recipes even began to spring up for “mock” apple pies. In World War II, apple pie took on patriotic tones as many of the soldiers enlisted saying that they were fighting for “mother and apple pie”. The apple pie then became entwined with American culture with such legends as Johnny Appleseed and the famous song by Don Mclean “American Pie”.

Apple pie recipes take all sorts of shapes and sizes. And different countries have their own take on this popular dessert. Apple pie is served with just about anything too from cheddar cheese to ice cream – the famous “apple pie a la mode”.