 Pigeon pie with beetroot | |
| Course | Main |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | France |
| Main ingredients | Pigeon |
Pigeon pie is a savourygame pie made ofpigeon meat and various other ingredients traditional toFrench cuisine and present in other European cuisines.[1] It has been eaten at least as early as 1670 in French cuisine.[2]
Similar dishes to pigeon pie exist in other cultures. InMorocco, a version made with a thin,phyllo-like pastry crust is calledbastila.[3] Early versions of the traditional Canadian dish oftourtière, currently made with meats such as pork or beef, were probably made of pigeon, likely the now extinctpassenger pigeon.[4]
An early recipe for pigeon pie was given inA Proper Newe Booke of Cokerye, published in London in 1575. James Hart, a Scottish physician, wrote in 1633 that pigeon pies were usually served with far too much pepper.[5] The diary ofSamuel Pepys recounts his attendance at a dinner party on May 24, 1667, in Islington, London, where the guests "dined upon nothing but pigeon-pyes".[6] Cookery books of the seventeenth century show that pigeons were 'well spiced with nutmegs, cloves, pepper and salt, and sealed in butter within the cold pie, which could then be kept for several days. But with the advent of potting (preserving food, especially meat or fish, in a sealed pot or jar) pies of this type became less common'.[7] Records in theBritish National Archives show that pigeon pie was a menu item atKew Palace during the reign ofGeorge III.[8] For the working classes however, without access to thedovecotes of thegentry, pigeon pie was a rare treat.[7]
In 1879, theBritish Medical Journal reported a group of sailors aboard the Troop shipHMS Tamar (1863) were poisoned by a bad pigeon pie which spawned an Admiralty investigation.[9]
Before the late 19th century in the United States, pigeon pie was a common dish. Archival records show that pigeon pie was a traditional dish for the American holiday ofThanksgiving, though is currently uncommon at Thanksgiving meals.[10] Similarly, during the earlier part of the 19th century pigeon pie was a common Christmas meal in Detroit, but later was replaced by other meats.[11] The reviewers inThe Pacific Northwest Quarterly of the 1976The Homestead Cookbook edited by Victoria Paul, noted that without publications of cookbooks like it, the traditional dish of pigeon pie would become culturally extinct in the United States.[12]
In Spain, pigeon eating was a common practice as early as the 14th century under the 1379Order of the Pigeon created by KingJuan I of Castile. The order ate pigeon regularly at their order banquets. In 1611, a recipe book by the royal chef at the court ofPhilip III of Spain included recipes for pigeon pie. Similarly, a chef at a university residence hall in Spain included recipes for pigeon pies in his 1607 collection of recipes.[13]
