Hmmm yum! Meat Pies! And even better in Australia we celebrate our National Meat Pie Day on 1st June. In the States they celebrate their National Pie Day on 23rd January each year. I can’t stop laughing at the fact that we have national “food days”, for just about everything we all love to eat.
I am a huge lover of a meat pie. I love to make them, and I love to eat them. I love nothing more and it is tradition to have a meat pie when I go and watch my beloved Collingwood play a match.
Few things are more Australian than the meat pie. I grew up having pies in my school lunch orders. If you’re as old as me then I am sure you will recall writing your name and class on a brown paper bag, putting 20 cents in the bag (yes, my friends it was 20 cents for a meat pie back in the 70’s), and placing the said brown paper bag in a plastic milk crate at the front of your classroom. The milk crate would magically disappear only to reappear at lunchtime with your meat pie and with it oozing with tomato sauce. I remember in high school seeing pies along with sausage rolls and party pies in the school’s tuck shop pie warmer.
On nights when I really have no energy in me to cook dinner you will find us on the couch having our casual dinner of a meat pie with sauce also referred to as dogs eye with dead horse. I love our Aussie slang!
In my home we all love a good meat pie except for my son who loathes them. To say he is a disappointment to The Hubster, and I would be an understatement (I am joking). I guess it’s my fault for cooking my scrumptious and delicious meals the child has become accustomed to home cooked meals.
When my family and I are on the road travelling to visit The Hubsters family we always make a detour and stop at the one and only Beechworth Bakery where I will devour their famous Ned Kelly Pie (to die for) and if they’ve ever run out you will find me shoving their Pete’s Pumpkin Curry Vegan pie! If you’re ever in Victoria’s High Country or on the Hume Highway, then take the exit and head to Beechworth you will not be disappointed! They really do know how to make a meat pie. Having said that I would hazard a guess in saying that even the teeny of tiniest small country towns around Australia would have at least one bakery that makes home-made delicious pies.
I digress, Meat pies are enjoyable any time of the year, but my personal preference is having a pie on a cold winter’s day, for me it’s pure comfort food and when out an about and on the road, it is the perfect “traveller”. For most people meat pies are a hit and well loved!
I was curious to find out where the meat pie came from, I wanted to know if this was an Aussie created and invented dish or was it our version of a British dish. The answer though was neither! Pie manufacturing shows that the meat pie goes way, way, way back. Back to 2nd Century AD so we can thank our Ancient Greeks and Romans.
What truly fascinated me was a meat pie is a classic British pub food, kind of like all our pubs sell schnitzels. History tells us that in medieval England pies were sold by street vendors and were considered a “convenience food” for the poor. English nobility used expensive and rather exotic spices in their pies such as ginger, saffron and pepper (saffron is still bloody expensive!)to give flavour and to disguise flavours and pies that consisted of boar, venison, fish and peacock. In the 19th Century the English bakers created a pie in celebration of the victory over Napolean in Waterloo.
What I did find out was that the humble Aussie meat pie was produced in Australia in 1947, and we haven’t looked back! From your high viz wearing tradies, to spectators at the Footy, to kid’s parties. Some eat meat pies as a “street snack”, others as a meal. The humble meat pie is iconic as the prawn on the barbie, thongs and vegemite.
Our favourite Australia brand the Four and Twenty pies name comes from the famous nursery rhyme “Sing a Song of Sixpence” in which the “four and twenty blackbirds” were baked into a pie.
Research led me to find out that in Australia we eat an estimated 270 million meat pies every year with the average Aussie consuming 12 meat pies per year. It is estimated the 90,000 meat pies are sold at AFL final matches ALONE.
Australians have certainly embraced the meat pie. It’s not only a food but it is part of our culture. It has been ingrained into our lifestyle. For me a meat pie is such a quick and convenient food and I honestly feel that it should be our national dish, but alas roast lamb has been declared as Australia’s national dish.
Now let’s bring this blog post back to our products…if you make meat pies at home you should consider adding some of our seasonings and blends into them. For example, if you want to do a butter chicken pie then you could use our Butter Chicken Spice Mix, some other interesting and delightfully delicious blends that would be exemplary in a meat pie is our Chilli Con Carne Blend, Greek Seasoning, Moroccan Seasoning, Schnitzel Seasoning, Pork Dry Rub, Steak Spice, Meatloaf Seasoning and you could make a chunky lamb pie using our Rosemary Salt. And this is just to name and suggest a few!
Is your tummy grumbling now as much as mine is?
Bon Appetit and Happy National Meat Pie Day!
Irene
