Facts about Pie
- 10
Strawberry shortcake, technically a pie-like dessert, became wildly popular in Victorian England during the 1850s when steamships made year-round strawberry imports from warmer climates financially feasible.
- 09
A 9-inch pie crust contains approximately 1,500 calories and 100 grams of fat before any filling is added, making the pastry shell itself one of the most calorie-dense components of the dessert.
- 08
During the 1970s, Sara Lee's frozen pie division became a billion-dollar business, establishing frozen desserts as a staple of American households within just 15 years of Marie Callender's initial market entry.
- 07
Custard pie requires precise oven temperatures between 325-350°F to prevent curdling, as eggs begin coagulating at 160°F and over-baking creates a grainy, separated texture.
- 06
Pecan pie became the official state pie of Texas in 1995, reflecting the crop's significance to the state's agricultural economy and regional cuisine.
- 05
Medieval meat pies called coffyns featured thick pastry shells designed primarily as edible containers rather than dishes, often lasting weeks before consumption.
- 04
Serving pie à la mode with vanilla ice cream became a standard American tradition during the 1890s, with the combination first appearing in print at an Iowa hotel in 1896.
- 03
In 1985, Marie Callender's introduced the first frozen fruit pie to supermarket shelves, revolutionizing consumer access to prepared desserts within 30 minutes of baking.
- 02
American bakeries consumed approximately 350 million pounds of apples annually for pie filling by 2020, making apple pie the most commercially produced pie variety in the United States.
- 01
The oldest known pie recipe dates to 1300 BCE in Egypt, where workers ate simple pastries filled with meat and herbs.