The Pie Must Go On — An American Pie Story

Culinary Historians of Chicago

The Pie Must Go On — An American Pie Story Presented by Catherine Lambrecht Pies are as American as pizza is American: we took a great idea, adapted it to our needs and ran with it. They used what they had available locally and made the most from it. In the Northeast and Midwest, it was apples; in the South it was molasses pies, in Florida the Key Lime Pie and the Southwest came nut pies. Apple pies were not always dessert, our American ancestors considered them survival food often eating pie for breakfast, lunch and dinner for six month stretches. This History of American Pies was originally presented to Culinary Historians of Chicago’s, ‘Munching Your Way Through the Midwest: Celebrating the History of America’s Food and Foodways.’ This symposium introduced the newly published Oxford Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink. * * * Catherine Lambrecht is a founder and moderator of LTHforum.com, the Chicago-based culinary chat site. A founder of Greater Midwest Foodways Alliance dedicated to celebrating, exploring and preserving unique food traditions and their cultural contexts in the American Midwest. Every month she organizes programs for Chicago Foodways Roundtable of Culinary Historians of Chicago. Recorded at Lexington College on November 19, 2011 by WBEZ’s Chicago Amplified. www.CulinaryHistorians.com