My younger brother moved to the U.K. about 2 years ago. Are Cornish Pasties a relatively easy thing to find or, are they an American invention only?
Nope they are available pretty much anywhere. Even gas(petrol) stations, have them, not that I’d recommend them as fine examples of the dish.
Most big train stations and/or town center will have a decent purveyor of pasties. Though of course the west country is your best bet for really really good ones.
Also, interesting you’d think of them as stereotypical American renditions of British food.
As a British person whose been in the states for 15+ years, I’ve not encountered a lot of Cornish pasties, they aren’t something you encounter a lot outside the odd fairly genuine British pub or specialty store. Unlike say Fish and Chips or Bangers and Mash.
In fact the meat pie generally is a tragically unappreciated art in the North American colonies IMO 
Moved to Cafe Society.
Colibri
General Questions Moderator
Well, we were raised in the U.P. of Michigan and, ate them growing up. We have a decent place here in Tempe, AZ called Cornish Pasty but, they have some unusual creations along with the traditional one. Cornish Pasty Co. » Full Dining Room Menu
Where do you think the “Cornish” in the name comes from?
Sorry about that, Colibri. Was unsure about the Category.
Some American inventions have roots elsewhere. Is Hamburg famous for it’s Hamburgers?
Yeah, North Michigan is the U.S. epicenter of Cornish pasty culture. I’ve never seen them anywhere else.
The Canadians are pretty damn good at meat pies, especially out east. I had some great ones in Cape Breton.
I make my own here in New York, but mine are pork and vegetables baked into a full-sized pie crust and cut into slices when cold.
It is getting close to tourtiere season.
Of course, I also like Habitant Split Pea Soup. Guess I am a creature of my childhood after all… https://www.campbellsoup.ca/product/habitant-french-canadian-pea-soup/
You’ve obviously never been to the Butte/Anaconda area of Montana (for which you should be eternally thankful). It seems that many of the miners from the British Isles who worked in Michigan migrated to Butte when the copper mines took off; whatever the reason, the pasty is definitely part of the local cuisine.
The worst cornish pasty I ever had the misfortune to eat was from Cornwall.
Was it from a pub? The best one I’ve ever had came from a Cornish pub.
I’ve been living in Canada for almost ten years now, but I haven’t had a pasty that good. Jamaican patties can compare, however, so long as they’re fresh and not frozen.
The Pot Pie is a treasured tradition here, I assure you. I love them, particularly made with turkey. The only thing I don’t like about them is they are a little complicated to construct since you have to make a roux, and cook each veggie separately to get it come out perfectly, and then the pie crust.
Never tasted a pasty outside of Britain though.
My Grandma made them completely from scratch, including rutabaga. My Grandpa was a copper miner at White Pine, Michigan although he worked Iron ore as a young man; all Underground Mines, of course. Lost 3 fingers to faulty Blasting caps as well. He frightened me as a child by claiming that during the Great Depression he made ‘Finger’ sandwiches with them. My Grandma would scold him for that.
Natchitoches meat pies are a tradition in Louisiana, at least. They’re basically spicy beef/pork pasties, but usually deep-fried, rather than baked. (Though I prefer to bake mine. It’s not as messy.)
It’s like corn, but not exactly. You know, cornish.
I wouldn’t say I’ve never had a good chicken pot pie in the states, but generally I am pretty underwhelmed by them.
I would even question if they really count as proper meat pies, as they are generally just a chicken stew with a lid of dry pastry, it is the soggy gravy-infused pastry that makes a good meat pie IMO
Also now I want a meat pie, anyone know of a good meat pie shop in the Washington DC area? 
Cornwall (in southwest England) was a center of Britain’s tin and copper industries for hundreds of years. Cornish miners would take pasties to eat underground, and the crimping on the crust gave them something to hold onto with their dirty hands.
Hamburger steaks, as the cutlets were called, supposedly came over to the US on the ships of Germany’s Hamburg Line. They were allegedly popularized more or less in the form we know today by Louis Lassen of New Haven, CT, around 1900.