# Cornish Pasty in England. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 3, 2018, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cornish-pasty-in-england/823954 "2018-11-03T23:53:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2018, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cornish-pasty-in-england/823954/21 "2018-11-04T02:08:04Z")
I remember having some really good ones at the Harlequins rugby stadium ages ago. I think every culture has some version of this sort of thing - piroshki, calzone, piroshiki, empanada, samosa, pupusa, etc. and on and on. ---
**Author:** ![Yorkshire\_Pudding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/59ef9b/32.png) [@Yorkshire\_Pudding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorkshire_Pudding)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2018, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cornish-pasty-in-england/823954/22 "2018-11-04T02:21:00Z")
There’s a pretty daft (IMHO) rule now, insisting that only pasties from Cornwall can be sold under that name. It used to be accepted as meaning Cornish _style_ pasties, then a campaign started up to ‘protect’ the name and a law was passed. Yorkshire Puddings can be made anywhere though, as can Lancashire Hotpot, Scotch Eggs, Cumberland Sausages, Welsh Rarebit, Irish Stew, Bakewell Tarts, etc. and they’re all surviving perfectly well, thank you very much. ---
**Author:** ![Yorkshire\_Pudding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/59ef9b/32.png) [@Yorkshire\_Pudding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorkshire_Pudding)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2018, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cornish-pasty-in-england/823954/23 "2018-11-04T02:23:27Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Where do you think the “Cornish” in the name comes from? Well, that doesn’t always follow. Ask anyone in London for a London Broil and they’ll have no bloody idea what you’re on about. And try finding yourself some Stilton that’s actually made in Stilton. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2018, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cornish-pasty-in-england/823954/24 "2018-11-04T02:23:30Z")
> [@romansperson](#): > > I remember having some really good ones at the Harlequins rugby stadium ages ago. I think every culture has some version of this sort of thing - piroshki, calzone, piroshiki, empanada, samosa, pupusa, etc. and on and on. Well, a sealed shell filled with protein and carbs is a very practical sort of food. It’s easy to transport, doesn’t require utensils or dishes, and it keeps relatively well. You’d sort of expect it to develop in most cultures where you see workers taking meals to work with them. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2018, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cornish-pasty-in-england/823954/25 "2018-11-04T02:27:37Z")
> [@romansperson](#): > > I remember having some really good ones at the Harlequins rugby stadium ages ago. I think every culture has some version of this sort of thing - piroshki, calzone, piroshiki, empanada, samosa, pupusa, etc. and on and on. There used to be a place on University Avenue in St Paul that did deep-fried pirozhki, which they marketed as “Russian hamburgers,” and they were absolutely delicious. I’ve had pirozhki both baked and deep-fried, and I prefer the latter. ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2018, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cornish-pasty-in-england/823954/26 "2018-11-04T04:00:18Z")
> [@Penfeather](#): > > It’s like corn, but not exactly. You know, cornish. Classier joints sell cornesque pasties. ---
**Author:** ![Batano](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b487fb/32.png) [@Batano](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batano)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2018, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cornish-pasty-in-england/823954/27 "2018-11-04T11:54:40Z")
All I can say is that women from Cornwall must have really big nipples if they need something that size to cover them. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2018, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cornish-pasty-in-england/823954/28 "2018-11-04T12:04:10Z")
> [@Yorkshire\_Pudding](#): > > And try finding yourself some Stilton that’s actually made in Stilton. Not much call for it, in those parts. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2018, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cornish-pasty-in-england/823954/29 "2018-11-04T12:17:56Z")
I participate in a bicycle tour in the U.P. of Michigan ([Tour da U.P](http://www.teachingfamilyhomes.org/events/tour-da-up/)) - the tour ends around lunchtime on Thursday and it is always Pastys I first heard about them in Wisconsin – specifically Mineral Point (an early lead mining location) Brian ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2018, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cornish-pasty-in-england/823954/30 "2018-11-04T12:20:34Z")
> [@Yorkshire\_Pudding](#): > > Well, that doesn’t always follow. Ask anyone in London for a London Broil and they’ll have no bloody idea what you’re on about. Yes indeed, as an enquirer on a travel forum I visit found out. To us “broiling” is something rather different anyway, and when we finally worked out that what he meant was what we call a “mixed grill”, we had to tell him it had rather gone out of fashion here anyway. As for the thing about meat pies generally, I recently found myself explaining gala pie and hot water pastry to a curious American tourist next to me in a cafeteria queue. ---
**Author:** ![Batano](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b487fb/32.png) [@Batano](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batano)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2018, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cornish-pasty-in-england/823954/31 "2018-11-04T13:22:17Z")
> [@PatrickLondon](#): > > Yes indeed, as an enquirer on a travel forum I visit found out. To us “broiling” is something rather different anyway, and when we finally worked out that what he meant was what we call a “mixed grill”, we had to tell him it had rather gone out of fashion here anyway. > > As for the thing about meat pies generally, I recently found myself explaining gala pie and hot water pastry to a curious American tourist next to me in a cafeteria queue. A London Broil is nothing like a “mixed grill”. It’s a largish cut of steak that is marinated and cut in strips when served. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2018, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cornish-pasty-in-england/823954/32 "2018-11-04T13:22:38Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > Yeah, North Michigan is the U.S. epicenter of Cornish pasty culture. I’ve never seen them anywhere else. I guess I’ve been lucky, then because when I was living in Carson City there was a tiny (run by two guys) restaurant that offered traditional and chicken pasties. This was kind of appropriate because we were just down the road from Virginia City which was thick with Cornish miners during the Comstock Lode era. On the east side of Phoenix, we have [The Cornish Pasty Co.](https://www.cornishpastyco.com/), a small chain that offers a variety of pasties in addition to the traditional (minced beef, potato, rutabaga, and onion) including vegan offerings. They’re as much pub as restaurant but the only entree they offer is the pasties. > [@terentii](#): > > Cornish miners would take pasties to eat underground, and the crimping on the crust gave them something to hold onto with their dirty hands. Not just dirty, antimony-contaminated. Even back in the 19th century, it was recognized something about the ore made you sick if you had too close contact with it. Given the coarseness of the flour at the time, some historians have expressed doubts whether they ate the crust at all but simply used it as a disposable container for the innards. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2018, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cornish-pasty-in-england/823954/33 "2018-11-04T14:57:35Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > Not just dirty, antimony-contaminated. Even back in the 19th century, it was recognized something about the ore made you sick if you had too close contact with it. Given the coarseness of the flour at the time, some historians have expressed doubts whether they ate the crust at all but simply used it as a disposable container for the innards. Yep, nothin’ like a good jolt of antimony to pick me up in the middle of the day! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2018, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cornish-pasty-in-england/823954/34 "2018-11-04T15:39:01Z")
> [@Yorkshire\_Pudding](#): > > Well, that doesn’t always follow. Ask anyone in London for a London Broil and they’ll have no bloody idea what you’re on about. > > And try finding yourself some Stilton that’s actually made in Stilton. There’s a reason for that. _only cheese produced in the three counties of Derbyshire, Leicestershire, and Nottinghamshire and made according to a strict code may be called “Stilton”. Thus cheese made in the village of Stilton which is now in Cambridgeshire (from where its name was derived in the 18th century) could not be sold as “Stilton”._ > **[Stilton cheese](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stilton_cheese)** > > Stilton is an English cheese, produced in two varieties: Blue, which has Penicillium roqueforti added to generate a characteristic smell and taste, and White, which does not. Both have been granted the status of a protected designation of origin (PDO) by the European Commission, requiring that only such cheese produced in the three counties of Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire may be called Stilton. The cheese takes its name from the village of Stilton, now in Cambridgeshire, wher... What I was trying to look up was confirmation that Stilton takes it name from where it was traditionally sold, not where it’s made, but I haven’t found that yet. Anyways, this is all by the bye. As an honourary devonian, I say the best pasties come from Devon. j ---
**Author:** ![Yorkshire\_Pudding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/59ef9b/32.png) [@Yorkshire\_Pudding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorkshire_Pudding)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2018, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cornish-pasty-in-england/823954/35 "2018-11-04T16:14:24Z")
> [@Treppenwitz](#): > > There’s a reason for that. > > _only cheese produced in the three counties of Derbyshire, Leicestershire, and Nottinghamshire and made according to a strict code may be called “Stilton”. Thus cheese made in the village of Stilton which is now in Cambridgeshire (from where its name was derived in the 18th century) could not be sold as “Stilton”._ > > [Stilton cheese - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stilton_cheese) > > What I was trying to look up was confirmation that Stilton takes it name from where it was traditionally sold, not where it’s made, but I haven’t found that yet. > > j That’s exactly what I meant: it has a geographical name, but that doesn’t tell you where it’s from. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2018, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cornish-pasty-in-england/823954/36 "2018-11-04T16:17:58Z")
Ah - my apologies, I mistook your meaning. But it’s a chance to repeat that the best pasties come from Devon. j ---
**Author:** ![Yorkshire\_Pudding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/59ef9b/32.png) [@Yorkshire\_Pudding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorkshire_Pudding)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2018, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cornish-pasty-in-england/823954/37 "2018-11-04T16:20:40Z")
Cornish Pasties, whether protected by law or not, have long been the subject of missing-the-point snobbery. Connoisseurs will declaim as to exactly what they must contain (and, more to the point, what they must not) in order to be authentic and traditional, but I find it very hard to believe that the Cornish peasant cooks of history will have been so fussy and prescriptive about the contents. They’ll have baked whatever they had, and well everybody knows it. ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2018, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cornish-pasty-in-england/823954/38 "2018-11-04T16:25:23Z")
Having recently moved to Cornwall, I can confirm that they’re bleedin’ _everywhere_ here. There are at least 5 pasty shops in the small town I live in, there’s a town down the road with 3 pasty shops all in a row. The county is apparently nearing the pasty event horizon, and I suspect some locals now won’t eat anything unless it’s put in a pasty first. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2018, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cornish-pasty-in-england/823954/39 "2018-11-04T17:07:28Z")
As others have said - the UP of Michigan is the epicenter of pasties in the US. We have two dedicated pasty shops in my small town, and you can get them at plenty of other places as well. It’s not at all uncommon for grocery stores to make pasties as part of their deli offerings, for example. Churches also do pasty sales for fundraisers. Pretty much any town in the UP will have a place to get a pasty. Now I want a pasty. > [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > Yeah, North Michigan is the U.S. epicenter of Cornish pasty culture. I’ve never seen them anywhere else. The U.P., Uke, not North Michigan. There’s a big difference. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2018, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cornish-pasty-in-england/823954/40 "2018-11-04T17:48:06Z")
You mean you don’t put some of those pasties on a damn boat and ship ‘em down to the Lower 48? What do the poor bastards in Cross Village get to eat, McDonald’s burgers? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cornish-pasty-in-england/823954.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cornish-pasty-in-england/823954.md?page=3)