# Grape pie - why so uncommon? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 30, 2018, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grape-pie-why-so-uncommon/818810 "2018-07-30T12:46:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2018, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grape-pie-why-so-uncommon/818810/21 "2018-07-30T17:10:32Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Yea I’m going with grapes are too bland. We have Muscadine vines, now those grapes are not bland. The are large , nearly pingpong ball size. I may try a pie and see what its like. The jelly from them is great. I will report back.🙂 Concord grape pie is many things, but _BLAND_ is not one of them. ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2018, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grape-pie-why-so-uncommon/818810/22 "2018-07-30T17:17:26Z")
I believe that the two times I’ve eaten grape pie (made by the same person) the seeds were just left in. It was fine that way. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2018, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grape-pie-why-so-uncommon/818810/23 "2018-07-30T20:24:03Z")
I grew concord grapes back in the day. Incredibly intense. I can’t imagine eating a pie slice-sized piece in one go. It would be just too much. Note that for canning concord grape jelly, you have to let the “juice” cool for a good while and settle out the bitter tartaric acid crystals. Is tartaric acid a problem for grape pies? ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2018, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grape-pie-why-so-uncommon/818810/24 "2018-07-30T22:26:04Z")
Well, if you want to bend the definition of “pie” until it deforms, you could argue that jelly donuts are super popular. But jelly gets super-cloying after a few bites, so the amount in a jelly donut may just be the right dosage, where a wedge of the stuff might be too much. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2018, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grape-pie-why-so-uncommon/818810/25 "2018-07-31T00:08:20Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Concord grape pie is many things, but _BLAND_ is not one of them. I meant grocery store grapes would seemingly be too bland. Not the Concord grape pie. I have never eaten one, so I can’t have an opinion on it. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2018, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grape-pie-why-so-uncommon/818810/26 "2018-07-31T00:15:29Z")
My recipe for grape pie requires Concord grapes. But they are hard to find around here, in NE Kansas, so I rarely get a chance to make it. Maybe the scarcity contributes to a lack of commercial grape pie. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2018, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grape-pie-why-so-uncommon/818810/27 "2018-07-31T03:04:23Z")
I have made them and they are a lot of work compared to other pies. But well worth it. Nothing like a perfectly balanced (sweet/sour) grape pie. I once made them from wild Concord grapes and that was the best pie I have ever had but twice as much work as the normal grape pie. Dennis ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2018, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grape-pie-why-so-uncommon/818810/28 "2018-07-31T11:45:02Z")
I love tart foods. I make a rhubarb pie or two each year from our rhubarb, but I am the only one that will eat it since I use little, if any, sugar. Would a grape-rhubarb pie be worth considering? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2018, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grape-pie-why-so-uncommon/818810/29 "2018-07-31T12:02:30Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > I grew concord grapes back in the day. Incredibly intense. I can’t imagine eating a pie slice-sized piece in one go. It would be just too much. > > Note that for canning concord grape jelly, you have to let the “juice” cool for a good while and settle out the bitter tartaric acid crystals. Is tartaric acid a problem for grape pies? Not for me. But, as I say, I do add sugar to get the right level of tartness in the pie, as far as acidity goes. I’ve never had a problem with any sort of crystallization being deposited in the pies. ---
**Author:** ![mundylion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mundylion/32/3604_2.png) [@mundylion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mundylion)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2018, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grape-pie-why-so-uncommon/818810/30 "2018-08-02T01:00:32Z")
My favorite aunt used to make grape pie, the on!y person in town who did. It was wonderful! Next time I saw grape pie was up.in the finger lakes of New York. The detailed description from CalMeacham has me thinking “I can do that!” .Probably can’t and won’t but if I stumble upon Concord grapes somewhere, I’m going to give it a shot. ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2018, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grape-pie-why-so-uncommon/818810/31 "2018-08-02T02:01:30Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I love tart foods. I make a rhubarb pie or two each year from our rhubarb, but I am the only one that will eat it since I use little, if any, sugar. > > Would a grape-rhubarb pie be worth considering? Sure! For obvious reasons, most combinations involving rhubarb are with something that’s known for being straight-ahead sweet, but I don’t think there’s any chemical or culinary REASON why grapes would be wrong. It might be great. Reasons why this isn’t famous already: 1. Work. 2. It has rhubarb. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2018, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grape-pie-why-so-uncommon/818810/32 "2018-08-04T18:17:55Z")
I came across this same question today. > **[r/Cooking - Why aren't grapes a popular pie ingredient, historically?](https://www.reddit.com/r/Cooking/comments/94gikd/why_arent_grapes_a_popular_pie_ingredient/)** > > 5 votes and 17 comments so far on Reddit [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grape-pie-why-so-uncommon/818810.md?page=1)