What's So Special About Pies?

What on earth is so "special" about pies?  Okay, sure... everything that used to be baked in an oven was a pie; but that's only because there was really nothing else to bake in!  So how come even after there was plenty of pottery and stuff to bake in did people still bake pies?  Why do we bake pies today?!  The fact of the matter is, pies really do have a universal appeal.

Let's start at the beginning... We've touched on it a little bit already.  Pies were common because that was one of the few ways people had to bake anything.  But pies had more uses than just that...  Pies also made excellent containers just for carrying or transporting food.  And then of course there is the aspect of preserving food...  All in all, pies were USEFUL.

Okay, pies are useful.  Anything else?  Think about all the different times you've had pie... and not just dessert pies.  Think about Chicken Pot Pies, or any meat pies you might have had.  There are pies that make excellent breakfasts (hey, even dessert pies are great for breakfast), pies for lunch, pies for dinner, and pies for dessert.  Pies are delicious hot OR cold.  Because it is easy to transport pies they make a great picnic snack; and in addition to that they can easily be eaten without utensils (well, meat pies can be... dessert pies are a little more difficult to manage).  Pies can be served at small gatherings, or massive amounts of pie can be easily made for large groups...  The fact of the matter is, pies are VERSATILE.

Useful, versatile... now we're getting somewhere.  But what if I told you that there is an actual BIOLOGICAL reason that throughout history we have been attracted to pie.  Initially our senses were there to help us survive, to help us locate food and shelter...  Four of our five senses are attracted to pie!  Pie (meat pies especially) are very nutrient dense.  Our noses are actually able to pick up on that.  Think about any time when you've walked into a kitchen and smelled a pie baking... Your nose is locating those nutrients and telling you that it wants that food.  Pies taste amazing!  What is the point of eating something (no matter how good is smells) if it doesn't taste good!  Pies look delicious!  Looking around our eyes will seek after the most appealing looking food, pies are pretty good about fitting that requirement.  And last but not least, the texture of a pie attracts our sense of feel.  There's a reason you don't just take a pie and stick it in the blender...  The difference between the crust and the filling is satisfying to our sense of feel.

So right there are the reasons that pies really stand out!  Pies are USEFUL, VERSATILE, and appeal to us BIOLOGICALLY.  It is these traits that have enabled the idea of pies to survive throughout the centuries and to still be appreciated today.