SIMON'S FOOD SCHOOL:
Stuff You Didn't Know You Didn't Know About Food
EVER SO ‘UMBLE
If you talk about pie in the United States, the chance is that the first thing that comes to mind is a delicious slice of pie filled with fruits. I mean, what could possibly be more American than a slice of apple pie?
However, if you were to ask any Brit (or Aussie for that matter) to discuss pies, their eyes would probably glisten over as they thought of using a fork to break through a short crust pastry revealing a rich filling of steak and kidney in a rich gravy, or chunks of chicken with slices of earthy mushroom in a rich white sauce.
Although some historians date their origins back to the time of the Ancient Greeks, it was during the middle ages that pie making began to become truly popular. The first noted use of the word “pie” is found in the early 14th Century, and it was at this time that “coffyns,” as they were then also known, were produced using a lard based pastry, which was strong enough to protect the contents inside. In fact, the pastry was often used just as a cooking vessel and discarded once the pie was opened and served.
Pies at this time were primarily an indulgence for the rich, who had access to the ovens in which the pies were baked. However, the lower classes were also given access to pies on special occasions, and it was from this circumstance where one of our most commonly used phrases now comes.
In the middle ages, hunting was one of the most popular pastimes of the British aristocracy. They were the great landowners, and called upon their servants and tenant farmers to help them in their hunting pursuits by “beating” to drive the animals into an area in which they could be easily slaughtered.
When an animal was killed, it would often be gutted on the hunting field. The main body of the deer or wild boar was returned to the kitchens of the lord’s estate to be butchered and hung for a future meal, while the innards of the animal were given to the servants.
These innards were known as the “numbles” and would be eaten in a stew or more often baked in a pie. Over time, the name of this pie changed from being “a numble pie” to “an umble pie.” Its association with the servant classes led to the use of the word “umble” or “humble” with the lower levels of society, and the phrase “had to eat some humble pie” for someone who has had to debase themselves.
As you can see, meat pies have a long history in Britain. So, while I will never ever say no to a lovely slice of apple or fruit pie, as a Brit at heart, my true love will always be a proper British meat pie.
After all, I have always considered myself to be as Uriah Heep puts it “ever so ‘umble.”
For more on the humble pie, check out here and here.
