Chess pie
 A slice of vanilla buttermilk chess pie | |
| Type | Pie |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | England |
| Main ingredients | Pie crust, eggs, butter, granulated sugar, vanilla, corn meal |
| Variations | Lemon chess pie, vinegar pie |
Chess pie is a dessert with a filling composed mainly of flour, butter, sugar, eggs, and sometimes milk, characteristic of Southern United States cuisine.[1]
Jefferson Davis pie is similar to chess pie, but Jefferson Davis pie may also contain spices, nuts, or dried fruits and is usually topped with meringue.[2]
History
[edit]It's unknown where the name chess pie came from, although there are several well-known theories.[3] The most likely is "chess-cake pie", as in cheese cake pie, became chess pie over time.[4] Martha Washington's Chess Cake recipe is very similar to today's chess pie.[5][6]
One of the most popular theories is that it is an eggcorn of "It's just pie" due to a misinterpretation of the pronunciation "It's jes' pie" in Southern American English. The pie is so simple any home cook with eggs, butter and sugar would know what to do.[6][7][8]
It is the South's most searched for Thanksgiving Pie.[9] Despite the pie's iconic status in the South, no recipe for "Chess Pie" appears in the first Southern cookbook, Mary Randolph's 1824 The Virginia Housewife. One food historian explains the early recipes for transparent pudding, such as "Mary Randolph's Transparent Pudding" (containing no milk) in the 1825 edition are "for all intents and purposes chess pie". Recipes for "Chess Pie" made without milk can be found in early 20th-century cookbooks.[10]
Composition
[edit]The basic chess pie recipe calls for the preparation of a single crust and a filling composed of flour, butter, sugar, and eggs and milk or condensed milk. Some variations call for the addition of cornmeal as a thickener. Many recipes call for an acid such as vinegar, buttermilk, or lemon juice.[11][12]
In addition to standard chess pie, other flavor variations include lemon, coconut, and chocolate chess pie.[13] Some nut pies, including some pecan, fall under the category of chess pies.[14] Traditional pecan pie recipes do not include milk or condensed milk in the filling, and are typically regarded as a type of sugar pie similar to British treacle rather than a milk-containing custard (see Pecan pie § Variations).
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Weinstein, Jay (2007). "Karo Syrup". In Smith, Andrew F. (ed.). The Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink. Oxford. p. 339. ISBN 978-0-19-530796-2. OCLC 71833329.
{{cite encyclopedia}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Kaufman, Cathy K. (2007). "Pastries". In Smith, Andrew F. (ed.). The Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink. Oxford. p. 438. ISBN 978-0-19-530796-2. OCLC 71833329.
{{cite encyclopedia}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ "Chess pie - Origin, Description, & Ingredients". Britannica.
- ^ "chess pie". Dictionary of American Regional English. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
- ^ "We cannot tell a lie: this cake looks a lot like a pie". The Oklahoman.
- ^ a b "A dessert gambit: Oklahoma cafeteria's closing brings the Food Dude to search for a chess pie recipe". The Oklahoman.
- ^ "What Exactly Is Chess Pie?". Kitchn.
- ^ Donovan, Lisa (2018-12-17). "I wanted the real story behind chess pie's name. But no one wanted to talk about it". Washington Post. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
- ^ "Even We Were Surprised By The South's Most Searched For Thanksgiving Pie". Southern Living.
- ^ "The South's Storied Chess Pie: Food + Cooking : gourmet.com". Retrieved 2024-09-11.
- ^ "Southern Chess Pie: Tips and Variations". The Spruce. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
- ^ "Chess Pie Recipes: Taste of the South". Southern Living. Retrieved 2013-05-13.
- ^ Schneider, Crady (2017-03-14). "Chess Pie: Nothing More Southern". Porter Briggs. Archived from the original on 2018-02-22. Retrieved 2017-06-19.
- ^ "Everything You Need to Know About Classic American Pie". Eater. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
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