I did not know that. No wonder the Romans liked Cornwall so much – bronze in one location.
Well, as I said in an earlier post, it wasn’t just grubby they were worried about, but being poisoned, even 200 years ago. Doesn’t mean the handle story was true, but there were motivations.
Just in case there are any non-Brits here who didn’t know, pasty, in this context is pronounced with a short A: like past, not paste.
Yeah, I always thought it sounded like a load of rubbish too. Why would a hungry miner throw away a perfectly good and tasty bit of pastry?
Did anyone actually give you a straight answer to your question?
They are not an American invention, they are from Cornwall in England, and you can find them everywhere in the UK. There are many dedicated high street brands, and you’ll find them at pretty much every major train station.
Pasty, to my ears, doesn’t rhyme with either of those words. More like ass-tea.
Agreed. Although I pronounce ass ‘arse’, so that wouldn’t be right, but I get what you’re saying. Like Hat.
Note that ass-tea is also readily available at UK railway stations.
Sorry, I was presenting the American pronunciation of “past,” not the British “pahst.” I should have thought of that.
Even the British pronunciation of past is region specific, to be fair.
The British pronunciation of everything is pretty region specific. Not least “Pasty”.
Indeed!
That’s not a pasty, it’s a Bedfordshire Clanger. Might still be a myth that it was often sweet and savoury in the past, but I like to get my mistakes accurate.
Pass-tea and pasty are virtually the same for me. In Cornwall it’s short ‘a’, not pah-stie, if you want to be authentic.
You’re quite right, although I’m sure I’ve heard it said about pasties before.
Interesting that the wiki page for the Clanger also mentions the suggestion that the pastry was just to hold the filling and wasn’t eaten.
Actually, Cornwall is an English corruption of the Celtic Kernow.
A lovely place, not to be missed on a trip to the UK. 
There’s enough traffic on the A30 without you encouraging them!
Pasty-fact! One of my first jobs out of school was working in a butchers and bakers.
I was in charge of many variations of the pasty. Cornish, mince and potato, cheese and onion, corned beef and potato. Side crimp, top crimp, wavy crimp (my own little flourish), short crust, flaky, rough-puff. square, crescent, semi-circle. All pastry and fillings made from scratch.
I was pretty darn good at it though I say so myself. Even though I was 16 they pretty much just told me how many they needed and let me get on with it and they seemed to sell like…like…er…they sold very well is the point I’m making.
So good indeed that the future Mrs. Novelty Bobble to-be, though oblivious to my existence, would call in on her way to work and pick up a pasty for her morning snack. At this point you may care to think up your own smutty variation on the theme of “she always liked my hot, steamy meat products of a morning”
I misread that as
which made me think of Pratchett’s take on dwarf-bread.
That’s because it goes right past Stonehenge. 
Sounds like your many stuffings left her wonderfully satisfied. :o
Speaking of Pratchett, isn’t the A30 the one that has the demonic runes planned into its interchanges?