The pasty is regarded as the national dish of Cornwall. The term “Cornish Pasty” has been in use since at least the early 1860s:
Cornish pasties are very popular with the working classes in this neighbourhood, and have lately been successfully introduced into some parts of Devonshire. They are made of small pieces of beef, and thin slices of potatoe, highly peppered, and enclosed in wrappers of paste.
- James Orchard Halliwell, Rambles in Western Cornwall by the Footsteps of the Giants, 1861
Wherever you are in Cornwall or the UK you can probably find a pasty. However, if you want a genuine Cornish pasty you can use the following link to find one:
About the Cornish pasty
Everyone who makes a pasty has their own recipe. These are often handed down from generation to generation. However, to call it a genuine Cornish pasty, here’s what’s involved:
On the inside
Just good, wholesome ingredients, put together with love and care
Roughly diced or minced beef
Sliced or diced potato
Swede (turnip)
Onion
Seasoning to taste (mainly salt & pepper)
No meat other than beef, and no vegetables apart from those listed can be used in the filling. There must be at least 12.5% beef and 25% vegetables in the whole pasty. All the ingredients must be uncooked when the pasty is assembled. It should be slowly baked to develop all that famous Cornish pasty taste and succulence.
On the outside
The pastry can be shortcrust, rough puff or puff, but it has to be savoury and able to withstand baking and handling without breaking. Pasties went down the mines, across the fields and out to sea, so they had to be up to the job. It can be glazed with egg, or milk, or both to give the finished pasty its wonderful golden colour.
History of the Cornish pasty
The pasty has been a documented part of the British diet since the 14th century, at this time being devoured by the rich upper classes and royalty.
A wealth or historical evidence confirms the importance of the Cornish pasty as part of the county’s culinary heritage. Some of the first references appear during the 14th century. This was during the reign of Edward III. The Oxford English Dictionary suggests that ‘pasty’ was identified in around 1300.
Cornish pasty recipe
Would you like to make your own genuine Cornish pasty? If so, the following recipe is the one for you. This recipe makes six ‘ansome pasties:
