Pie in American cuisine has roots in English cuisine and has evolved over centuries to adapt to American cultural tastes and ingredients. The creation of flaky pie crust shortened with lard is credited to American innovation.
Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote in her 1869 novel Oldtown Folks, based on recollections of her childhood, that the variety of pies created by American housewives "attested the boundless fertility of the feminine mind".
Lemon buttermilk pie
Peanut butter pie with peanut butter cups and whipped topping
Slice of pumpkin pie with whipped cream
A pie is a baked dish which is usually made of a pastry dough casing that contains a filling of various sweet or savoury ingredients. Sweet pies may be filled with fruit, nuts, fruit preserves, brown sugar, sweetened vegetables, or with thicker fillings based on eggs and dairy. Savoury pies may be filled with meat, eggs and cheese or a mixture of meat and vegetables.
A pear pie
A detail of a painting by Jan Brueghel the Elder (1568–1625) and Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640) depicting several bird pies. Cooked birds were frequently placed by European royal cooks on top of a large pie to identify its contents.
A 19th century depiction of a Roman feast, where pastry-covered meat dishes were served.
A detail from Pieter Claesz' 1627 painting of turkey pie.
