Fillings

One way to look at the progression of pies throughout history is to look at how the fillings used changed...  It started out with your basic slab of meat in a crust.  With the invention of pastry came the idea of cutting up that meat, or even having fruit, or custard fillings.  During the 14th Century when fruit fillings were first used sugar began to show up in pies.  Because sugar was so expensive only a limited about could be used and so it was treated more as a spice than as any kind of main ingredient.

In the mid 17th Century the idea that SWEETNESS in a pie could be the GOAL was first truly introduced.  People began to build on this until by the 18th Century there is a complete differentiation between sweet and savory pies.  Even with this distinction though "sweet pies" were not exactly what we would think of in modern times.  Back in the 16th-18th Century sweet pies would commonly contain bone marrow and saffron as main ingredients.

As more and more people begin to experiment with pie fillings fish pies begin to be used.  People in general preferred meat pies... But there were certain days when the church would not allow any meat to be consumed.  On these days fish pies were the perfect solution.  During times of lent however even fish was banned.  On these days vegetable pies were eaten.  During this time period in general the idea of someone being a vegetarian was a foreign concept.  The only reason someone would not eat meat would be if they could not get their hands on it.  Even on days when meat was banned chefs would work to make their veggie pis taste so much like meat that most people could not tell the difference.

For the poor Frugal Pies were their common fare.  Frugal pies were basically a way to use up any leftovers from the week.  Any food that had not been eaten would be tossed together and baked in a crust.  These pies were also referred to as Saturday Pies, Scrap Pies, and Old Maid Pies.  Perhaps the saddest pies of all though were the Burr Pies.  These pose were made from the leftover flesh that butchers would miss right around an animal's horns.  Mothers who needed SOMETHING for their children to eat would go to the butchers' and scrape these bits of meat off the horns until they had enough for a pie.

WWII actually had a huge impact on the consumption of pies in England.  Because of the war there was not enough wheat to go around and so coverless pies became popular.  When flour became even more scarce Chicken Pot Pies became common.  These pot pies were also called Crock Pies because they had no crust and were instead baked in pottery.  That term later changed to our modern Crock Pots.

As the times changed the pies changed as well.  From the best of the best to the worst of the worst there was always a pie that fit the income level and the occasion.