Pasty Kernewek

[thunderlizard]

Perhaps our Cornish friends can answer this:
Today I'm having a Cornish Pasty for lunch, and it doesn't have any carrots in it. Last time, it did. Personally I prefer the carrotless variety, but which is correct?

Also posted in Technical (not really)

tl

[xoggoth]

Have you noticed how Cornish Pasties resemble (albeit far larger obviously) the Pupae of certain Apodous Insects? This is not coincidence. Beetle larvae were the main ingredient of Cornish Pasties until well into the eighteenth century and the familiar shape distinguished them from the similar tasting wasp tart that was made in Hayle and surrounding areas.

[thunderlizard]

Pasty theory

As a student, I used to dabble in ancient history. One of the great unsolved questions was the origins of the Etruscan race - a bunch of folk who suddenly turned up in what is now Tuscany around 700 BC. Anyway, one academic put forward the theory that they came from Cornwall. One of the principal pieces of evidence was that the Calzone (the local folded-in-half version of pizza) is similar to a Cornish pasty.

[Vetran]

Re: Pasty theory

ah the 'Pasty to Pizza' theory.

[fiddleabout]

Re: Pasty theory

I thought that one was disproved by Professor Aaron W. Fisher several years ago.

The original pastie was developed by Cornish tribesman in the early bronze age as a cheap hunting weapon.

Baked hard in charcoal embers it formed an extremely efficient weapon when thrown or used as a club. The main quarry of Cornish hunters at that time was the Greater Three Toed Mountain Lion. The method used was to bait an area with uncooked pasties. When the lions appeared (tempted by the smell of the pastie which was virtually identical to lioness urine) the hunters all threw their weapon grade pasties at it. On the few occasions this did not result in a clean kill the unfortunate beast was bludgeoned to death with spare pasties.

The efficiency of this method is evidenced by the total extinction of the Greater Three Toed Mountain Lion.

Anyway nowadays the true Cornish Pastie does not contain carrot - it should contain turnip though. It's main use is in conning unwary tourists into shelling out £2 on inedible crap which when it (inevitably) ends up in landfill sites acts as an absorbent of other pollutants.

[dgit]

carrots are the devils work

Just to drag this back on topic, a cornish pasty should never, ever contain carrots. My Granny would turn in the cornish soil if she saw the @#%$ that is sold to the misguided public as cornish pasties these days.

That goes for sweetcorn as well, you may as well buy a bloody Ginsters - the dirtiest pasty you are likely to find.

A 'proper' pasty has potato, onion, parsnip/swede, beef, salt and pepper and herbs.

Any other vegetables are put in by northerners (if you are north of Truro you are a northerner) who do not understand the true art of the pasty.

Fiddleabout - you have obviously never had a good pasty, food of the gods mate.

[thunderlizard]

Re: carrots are the devils work

Thanks dgit, I suspected there was something wrong with putting carrots in it.

Fiddle, £2 - is that for a caviar pasty with smoked salmon? 85p at my local patisserie.

[kernow]

Fighting the Cornish Pasty Forgeries!

There seems to be so much confusion about what a Cornish Pasty is or is not. You will often find me standing in shops/supermarkets throwing down Cornish Pasty forgeries in disgust! I got so fed up with it I put an article together that includes an original Cornish Pasty recipie. Have a quick read then make your yourself a decent pasty! Click here for the real deal Cornish Pasty info!

[DaveB]

Just to drag this back on topic, a cornish pasty should never, ever contain carrots. My Granny would turn in the cornish soil if she saw the @#%$ that is sold to the misguided public as cornish pasties these days.

That goes for sweetcorn as well, you may as well buy a bloody Ginsters - the dirtiest pasty you are likely to find.

A 'proper' pasty has potato, onion, parsnip/swede, beef, salt and pepper and herbs.

Any other vegetables are put in by northerners (if you are north of Truro you are a northerner) who do not understand the true art of the pasty.

Fiddleabout - you have obviously never had a good pasty, food of the gods mate.

Expat Cornishman myself

And the real origin is that they were made for the miners to take down the tin mines, back when Cornwall had more than the bloody tourist industry going for it.

The thick crust along the edge was for the miners to hold it by while they ate it. It wasn't eaten itself. The reason was that tin mines have large quantities of arsnic floating around in the water and tin ore and this soaked into the crust when it was held, and not the bit that was eaten.

Oh, and those piddly little things with the crust along the top? Not a proper cornish pasty. Sometimes we feed 'em to the kiddies to wean them off the tit but no self respecting cornishman would be seen dead eating one.



Proper Job

[NewBoy]

Ha ha

Contractors showing their experience...

A simple question that could have been answered with one simple word....instead, there has been a flurry of activity to answer in great detail a load of questions that weren't ever asked (although very interesting i must say) that whilst irrelevant to the inital question were related closely enough to keep the customer interested and keep you lot employed for a bit longer...pure genius! And what makes it even better, was that the initial question was typical of a large corporate customer...too much money (in this case time) and needing to spend it on one of their whims even though they can't do bugger all with the results.

Careful though boys, you have all qualified to be management consultants, be afraid...be very afraid!