New England Pie: History Under a Crust

by Robert S. Cox

Pie has been a delectable centerpiece of Yankee tables since Europeans first landed on New England’s shores in the seventeenth century. With a satisfying variety of savory and sweet, author Robert Cox takes a bite out of the history of pie and pie-making in the region. From the crackling topmost crust to the bottom layer, explore the origin and evolution of popular ingredients like the Revolutionary roots of the Boston cream. One month at a time, celebrate the seasonal fixings that fill New Englanders’ favorite dessert from apple and cherry to pumpkin and squash. With interviews from local bakers, classic recipes and some modern twists on beloved standards, this mouthwatering history of New England pies offers something for every appetite.

Genres: Nonfiction

163 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 5, 2015

Reviews

[Nina · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this book does not purport to be definitive or even comprehensive, it merits a far more attractive and modern cover that the fuddy-duddy one The History Press slapped on. I picked it up from the library on a whim, as Moby Dick hangover reading, and was unprepared for the pleasantly chatty tone or the thoughtful commentary on how quintessential American myths and symbols were developed. I learned something new with every chapter.

For example:
- we tend to forget or dismiss the influence of French Canadians on New England, but it’s there if you know where to look.
- All sorts of practical utopians have latched on to maple sugar, from revolutionaries promoting economic self-sufficiency to early abolitionists seeking to disentangle themselves from the sugar plantations of the West Indies.
- Young America pushed hard against Old Europe’s decadence and undemocratic form of government by turning austerity, thrift, and moderation into virtues, transforming everything from clothing designs to pie recipes into patriotic fronts.
- Rhubarb took a long while to catch on because it was known primarily as a diuretic.
- Shepard’s pie and cottage pie didn’t peak in popularity until the early 20th century, because they offered comfort food and evoked a pastoral past in an otherwise newfangled age.
- Blueberries and cranberries are the only two fruits native to North America, and neither was commercially cultivated until the late 1800s. Why bother - they grew everywhere.
- The evolution of American apple varieties, like the propagation of American religious communities, is far more chaotic, diverse, and innovative that commonly acknowledged today.
- Nearly 90% of the nation’s pumpkins are grown within 80 miles of a pumpkin pie mix canning factory in Morton, Illinois.

This isn’t a recipe book - those included are historical curiosities, and absolutely no attention is devoted to the complexities of pie crust. It’s a stocking stuffer rather than a “proper” cultural history book: bite-sized and amusing, with no further pretensions.

A delight.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was fun. I read it a little while ago, on my phone from the library, and I don't remember it that well. But I do always like thinking about pie, and after the book was done I fixed myself a Bluebarb Pie to celebrate.
There are a few little thoughts and questions that have stayed with me about this book, a few little bits of pie minutia. Cox structures the book around 12 chapters - for 12 months of the year - and one quintessential Yankee pie per chapter. The rhubarb chapter was good. Did you know people tried to rebrand rhubarb as "pie fruit" in the 19th century to get people to plant more of it? Makes sense. I do love a rhubarb pie, and what else are you supposed to do with it? Rhubarb crisp I suppose. Random story - my neighbor used to come over to our backyard when we were kids, with a cup of sugar, and he would pick rhubarb and dip it in sugar and eat it raw. Still makes my skin crawl.
One chapter is based around cherry pie. I'm going to give you a hot pie take - cherry is not a New England pie. I come from a long line of New England pie bakers, and no one makes cherry pie. We don't have any cherries! Where are the cherries? They are in Washington State.
Mock apple pie. What a weird thing. Mushed up crackers and lemon juice and spices. I get that hard times lead to improvisation, but it is just such an odd invention.
Pie must have crust. Somewhere. So shepherd's pie is not pie (to be fair, he includes this debate in the book).
This book is good stimulus for pie debates.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. I stumbled upon this book quite by accident in the local library, as they apparently did some programming around it for November. The author’s name took a moment to register and then I realized it THE Rob Cox I had grown so fond of during my time at UMass. I had the great fortune of attending a conference with him at the time he was writing this book and he had presented on the topic of pie at conference. His presentation, while serious in content, had the whole room genuinely laughing and readers of this fine volume will have many a laugh-out-loud moment as his wit and diction are a delight.

Rob sadly passed over a year ago now, and at times I found reading this work painful because I could hear his voice through his written words so well and there are so many points that I would love to drop him an email and have a follow up chat about, but alas this little volume will have to suffice, and that it does with a perfect blend of knowledge and the gaiety of punchy prose.

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some enjoyable history & facts, but also some extraneous barely-related history thrown in as well. The pies were mostly well-chosen, but I might have liked the Boston Cream added to the "fake" pies chapter, and seen a pecan pie or another.
I like that the book includes recipes, but some chapters only have historic ones (as opposed to more useful/practical), and there isn't a recipe for some things (like whoopie pies, though they're featured in a chapter).
Overall, it was a fast read that made me want to eat pie and gave some enjoyable background and info, but went on a little long in some areas and maybe missed out in a couple of others.

[Lauren Carter · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is how to make a book about food and history boring...