History in the baking
With regional food provenance increasingly important to pub food menus, the trade will be keeping a close eye on a war of words which has broken out between Devon and Cornwall over the origins of the pasty.
Like the Cumberland sausage and the Yorkshire pudding, the Cornish pasty has become inextricably linked with the county that claims it as its own. However, the Friends of Devon have found a 16th century pasty recipe in their archives, dating back to 1510. With the earliest Cornish written record dating to 1746, Devon is claiming prior ownership by more than 200 years.
Cornwall, of course, will not take this lying down. In fact, Paul Drye, catering development manager with Cornish pubco St Austell Brewery, predicts that it could all turn quite ugly if Devon's claim is allowed to stand: "Cornish folk would blow up the Tamar bridge if they heard that Devon invented the pasty first!"
St Austell has its own signature pasty, the Steak and Tribute, developed by award-winning pasty maker Crantock Bakery. The beef is marinaded for 24 hours in the brewery's Tribute Ale.
The result, Paul insists, is "irresistible", and so justifies a few raised eyebrows from the purists who insist that the filling should only contain beef skirt, potato, onion, swede, salt and pepper.
The pasty and the history of mining in Cornwall are strongly linked. It was originally a hearty meal wrapped in a pastry casing, which made for a very practical lunch down in the dark, damp mine. Tradition has it that the original pasties contained meat and vegetables in one end and jam or fruit in the other, in order to give the hard-working miners a two-course meal.
The familiar ridged edge, or crimp, allowed miners to hold their lunch without getting it dirty and risking the wrath of neolithic environmental health officers. However, there is a spot of controversy involving the crimp. The debate rages over whether the pasty should be sealed across the top, or at the side.
Paul firmly believes that "the side crimp is the most convenient way of holding onto your lunch while you take a big bite. Add to this the folklore that recommends throwing away the end of the crust that you hold on to, as a gift for the Knockers, and I think a side crimp is the only way to seal a pasty."
Knockers? We thought you'd ask.
These are the mischievous 'little people' of the mines, a sort of Cornish pixie or leprechaun, who were believed by the miners to cause all manner of misfortune unless they were placated with food.
Paul would like to see the pasty's disputed provenance given the same protected regional status as the likes of Champagne and Parma ham. "I would like a ruling that clearly states that only pasties made in Cornwall can be called Cornish pasties," he says.
"Cornwall has the most convincing claim over the invention of the pasty, and while we're at it, we also invented saffron buns, clotted cream and make by far the best cream teas."
Them's fighting words. Thankfully, if the worst came to the worst and Cornwall was forced to give up the pasty to Devon, there are other traditional culinary delights standing by to pick up the slack.
"My favourite is Muggerty Pie," says Paul. "To make this, first take a very large pie dish and into this place a few chopped onions and a whole cow's umbilical cord, coiled up - and then top with shortcrust pastry and bake until golden brown."
