Chess pie is a dessert with a filling composed mainly of flour, butter, sugar, eggs, and sometimes milk, characteristic of Southern United States cuisine.[1]
 A slice of vanilla buttermilk chess pie | |
| Type | Pie |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | England |
| Main ingredients | Pie crust, eggs, butter, granulated sugar, vanilla, corn meal |
| Variations | Lemon chess pie, vinegar pie |
Jefferson Davis pie is similar to chess pie, but Jefferson Davis pie may also contain spices, nuts, or dried fruits and is usually topped with meringue.[2]
History
editIt's unknown where the name chess pie came from, although there are several well-known theories.[3] The most likely is "chess-cake pie", as in English cheese cake pie, became chess pie over time.[4] Martha Washington's Chess Cake recipe is very similar to today's chess pie.[5][6] The 1881 cookbook Buckeye Cookery—With Hints on Practical Housekeeping included a recipe submitted by Mrs. J. Carson of Glendale, Minnesota.[7] The recipe maintained the basic custard ingredients of eggs, butter, and sugar, but the egg whites were whipped into a meringue and spread on top.[8]
One of the most popular theories is that it is an eggcorn of "It's just pie" due to a misinterpretation of the pronunciation "It's jes' pie" in Southern American English. The pie was thought to be so simple any home cook with eggs, butter and sugar would know what to do.[6][9][10]
It is the South's most searched for Thanksgiving Pie.[11] Despite the pie's iconic status in the South, no recipe for "Chess Pie" appears in the first Southern cookbook, Mary Randolph's 1824 The Virginia Housewife. One food historian explains the early recipes for transparent pudding, such as "Mary Randolph's Transparent Pudding" (containing no milk) in the 1825 edition are "for all intents and purposes chess pie". Recipes for "Chess Pie" made without milk can be found in early 20th-century cookbooks.[12]
Variations of the chess pie include transparent pie, molasses pie, brown sugar pie, syrup pie, and vinegar pie.[13]
Composition
editThe basic chess pie recipe calls for the preparation of a single crust and a filling composed of flour, butter, sugar, and eggs and milk or condensed milk. Some variations call for the addition of cornmeal as a thickener. Many recipes call for an acid such as vinegar, buttermilk, or lemon juice.[14][15]
Recipes dating from the 19th century typically including eggs, butter, sugar, and vinegar baked in a pie crust, with regional variations.[16]
In addition to standard chess pie, other flavor variations include lemon, coconut, and chocolate chess pie.[17] Some nut pies, including some pecan, fall under the category of chess pies.[18] Traditional pecan pie recipes do not include milk or condensed milk in the filling, and are typically regarded as a type of sugar pie similar to British treacle rather than a milk-containing custard (see Pecan pie § Variations).
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Weinstein 2007, p. 339.
- ^ Kaufman, Cathy K. (2007). "Pastries". In Smith, Andrew F. (ed.). The Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink. Oxford University Press. p. 438. ISBN 978-0-19-530796-2. OCLC 71833329.
- ^ "Chess pie". Britannica. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
- ^ "chess pie". Dictionary of American Regional English. Archived from the original on April 17, 2024. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
- ^ Calta, Marialisa (February 13, 2012). "We cannot tell a lie: this cake looks a lot like a pie". The Oklahoman. Archived from the original on September 11, 2024. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
- ^ a b Cathey, Dave (January 6, 2016). "A dessert gambit: Oklahoma cafeteria's closing brings the Food Dude to search for a chess pie recipe". The Oklahoman. Archived from the original on September 11, 2024. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
- ^ Wilcox 1881, p. 217.
- ^ Wilcox, Estelle Woods (1881). Buckeye Cookery: With Hints on Practical Housekeeping. Buckeye Publishing Company. p. 217.
- ^ Salkeld, Lauren (September 8, 2022). "What Exactly Is Chess Pie?". The Kitchn.
- ^ Donovan, Lisa (December 17, 2018). "I wanted the real story behind chess pie's name. But no one wanted to talk about it". Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 3, 2021. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
- ^ Cericola, Lisa (August 29, 2024) [October 13, 2023]. "Even We Were Surprised By The South's Most Searched For Thanksgiving Pie". Southern Living. Archived from the original on April 27, 2024.
- ^ Anderson, Jean (March 14, 2012). "The South's Storied Chess Pie: Food + Cooking". gourmet.com. Archived from the original on September 14, 2024. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
- ^ McDermott, Nancie (September 2010). Southern Pies: A Gracious Plenty of Pie Recipes, From Lemon Chess to Chocolate Pecan. Chronicle Books. ISBN 978-0-8118-6992-8. Archived from the original on September 14, 2024. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
- ^ Rattray, Diana. "Southern Chess Pie: Tips and Variations". The Spruce. Archived from the original on February 22, 2018. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
- ^ "Chess Pie Recipes: Taste of the South". Southern Living. Archived from the original on May 14, 2013. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
- ^ Huggins, Mollie (1897). Tried and True: Tennessee Model Household Guide. Practical Help in Household. Publishing House Methodist Episcopal Church, South. p. 142.
- ^ Schneider, Crady (March 14, 2017). "Chess Pie: Nothing More Southern". Porter Briggs. Archived from the original on February 22, 2018. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
- ^ Galarza, Daniela (July 1, 2015). "Everything You Need to Know About Classic American Pie". Eater. Archived from the original on December 3, 2021. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
Works cited
edit- Weinstein, Jay (2007). "Karo Syrup". In Smith, Andrew F. (ed.). The Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink. Oxford University Press. p. 339. ISBN 978-0-19-530796-2. OCLC 71833329.