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Cornish Pasty - Historical information
A wealth of historical evidence confirms the importance of the Cornish
pasty as part of the county's culinary heritage, with some of the first
references appearing during the 13th Century, during the reign of Henry
III. The Oxford English Dictionary suggests that pasty was
identified in around 1300. The pasty became commonplace in the 16th and
17th centuries and really attained its true Cornish identity during the
last 200 years. By the 18th century it was firmly established as
a Cornish food eaten by poorer working families who could only afford
cheap ingredients such as potatoes, turnip (swede) and onion. Meat was
added later.
Evidence of the Cornish pasty as a traditional Cornish food is found in
Worgan's agricultural survey of Cornwall of 1808. In the 1860s
records show that children employed in mines also took pasties with
them as part of their crib or croust (local dialect for snack or lunch).
By the end of the 18th century it was the staple diet of working men
across Cornwall. Miners and farm workers took this portable
and easy to eat convenience food with them to work because it was so
well suited to the purpose. Its size and shape made it easy to
carry, its pastry case insulated the contents and was durable enough to
survive, while its wholesome ingredients provided enough sustenance to
see the workers through their long and arduous working days.
By the early 20th century the Cornish Pasty was produced on a large
scale throughout the county as a basic food for farm workers and
miners.
Cornish pasty - Shape and
recipe
There are hundreds of stories about the evolution of the pasty's shape,
with the most popular being that the D-shape enabled tin miners to
re-heat them underground as well as eat them safely. The crust (crimped
edge) was used as a handle which was then discarded
due to the high levels of arsenic in many of the tin mines.
The Cornish pasty's recipe has a 200 year continuity that is
unique. Recipes were handed down from generation to generation,
often by word of mouth and rarely written down because they were made
almost every day. Pasties formed a key part of Cornish local life
and tradition. Young girls were often made to practice crimping
techniques using plasticine before being allowed to work with
pastry. Even allowing for minor variations across the county from
Parish to Parish, it is the concept and the cultural ideal that
epitomise the importance of the Cornish pasty and its enduring links to
Cornwall.
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