Every Day Is Special: March 2

March 2 - Pasty Day

Posted on March 2, 2019

Have you ever had a small savory pastry? A sort of meat-and-potatoes tart?

I'm talking about pasties - not pastries, with an "R," mind you, but past-ies - which are a British version of small meat pies.

Here are some things that are used inside Cornish pasties:

Diced beef

Diced potato

Turnip

Onion

Salt and pepper

Maybe other seasonings?

All of those uncooked ingredients must be put into the uncooked pastry (pie crust or puff pastry), which is then sealed by being crimped. (According to the Cornish Pasty Association, if it isn't crimped, it isn't a Cornish pasty!) The pastry can be glazed with egg or milk or both, and then the pasty should be slowly baked.

In a way, a pasty is a bit like Polish pierogies and Italian raviolis.

For Pasty Day, in the U.K., there is a crimping contest to crown the world's fastest crimper. Mr. and Mrs. Pasty (pictured here) have been walking, cycling, and rowing all over the county of Cornwall to rouse interest in pasties, and I guess this pair sings, as well! Finally, there will be some pasty giveaways surprising and rewarding emergency and rescue crews who have done wonderful things this past year. (U.K. citizens nominated deserving crews, apparently.)

Here is a traditional pasty recipe.