There's something wonderful about pie. It's a thing of beauty, full of potential. Depending
on where you come from, chances are good that you have a favorite pie based on your home
state.
So, let's dive in and see if these famous pies create a stirring of nostalgia!
Sweet potato pie is to the south what pumpkin pie is to the north. Sweet potatoes were introduced
to West Africa from the Americas, before crossing back over the Atlantic with the slave trade.
Families soon began handing down sweet potato pie recipes through the generations. Eventually,
this difficult-to-make, time-consuming dessert became so important that it would typically
be the trademark dish of just a few family members. Dolester Miles, a James Beard Awarding-winning
pastry chef from Birmingham, Alabama is known for her sweet potato pie.
Not all pies are sweet, including Alaska's pirok pie. Edible Alaska says that there are
a handful of occasions that just aren't complete without a pirok on the table: weddings, birthdays,
funerals ... it's even required eating for Russian New Year. So, what is it? It's a hearty
pie with root vegetables and salmon. It was brought to Alaska with Russian fur traders
in the 18th century. Since then, this hearty and delicious comfort food that uses the best
of Alaska's fresh ingredients has remained a staple of Alaskan menus and culture.
Cactus pie might not sound like the most appetizing pie option out there but it's a delicious
"must-try" in Arizona. It's a pie made from the fruit of the prickly pear cactus, which
are scary to harvest and tough to open but totally worth the work. Some of Arizona's
ultra-trendy restaurants are using other kinds of cactus, like nopales, for their cactus
pie, and KJZZ indicates that this is one foodie favorite that's just getting more popular.
Don't worry, there's no possum in possum pie! Atlas Obscura says that the name of what they
call "Arkansas' unofficial state treat" comes from the massive layer of whipped cream on
top. It hides all the other goodness in the layers beneath it. It's "playing possum!"
Usually, those are layers of chocolate custard, vanilla pudding, pecans, or sometimes even
fruit. House of Nash Eats says there's a pecan shortbread crust that really makes it stand
out from other pies. That sounds pretty delicious, doesn't it?
Monroe Strause was a teen in 1919 when he joined his uncle's wholesale pie business.
He was met with some stiff competition. Strause was set about rethinking an age-old classic
and did a ton of pie-making before he invented the chiffon pie. Delicate, light, and airy,
the pie was first sold in Los Angeles as a sort of novelty but quickly became popular
in the rest of California and beyond.
Every year, Colorado is flooded with thousands of pounds of peaches. According to The Denver
Post, that happens in the summer months, and when it does, the peak peach season is short.
They've got to be used pretty quickly while they're at their peak ripeness, and what's
a state to do? Bake peach pies, of course! Grand Junction Colorado says that if you're
looking for the perfect peaches, then Colorado's Palisade peach is your go-to, and a peach
pie is a must.
Pumpkin pie is a Thanksgiving favorite on tables all over the country, but according
to CBS Connecticut, if you want to get some of the best pumpkin pies you've ever tasted,
Connecticut is the state to visit. It's no wonder the Nutmeg State is so in love with
pumpkin pie: It's been an American staple for centuries. In 1705, one Connecticut town
even postponed Thanksgiving because it didn't have enough molasses for all the pumpkin pies.
That's true love!
Delaware takes its peaches seriously, and according to Delaware Online, the state celebrates
August 24 — National Peach Pie Day — in style. The state made its love affair with
peach pie official when it named it the state dessert in 2009, and for good reason. The
peach industry has formed the backbone of the state's agricultural industry for a long
time, reaching a peak in 1875. That's when it sent more than six million baskets of fruit
to market, and Delaware hasn't looked back.
Key lime pie is a source of pride for Florida, and it goes without saying that it was invented
there ... right? When author Stella Parks suggested in her book BraveTart: Iconic American
Desserts that the pie was developed by the Borden milk company to sell more condensed
milk and not in Key West, well, Floridians were not about to let that fly. They insist
they've been making it with the tart Key limes since the mid-1800s. No matter where it was
invented, there's one thing that's undeniable: It's the taste of Florida on a dessert plate.
Not all pies have to be super sweet to be delicious. Just take Georgia's famous peanut
butter pie. It's an incredible dessert that's as salty as it is sweet. It typically has
a crumbly crust and usually comes piled high with whipped cream or drizzled with caramel.
It's a guaranteed win with a long history: The Georgian Encyclopedia says Georgia has
been a leader in peanut farming since before the Civil War. What better way to use them?
Hawaii Magazine calls haupia pie:
"something of a dessert institution in the islands."
So, it's easy to see why it's so popular. Love a yummy, flaky pie crust, chocolate,
coconut, and whipped cream? This is the pie for you. 196 Flavors says that haupia has
been popular since the 1940s. So, considering Hawaii's love of coconuts, it's not surprising
the state found a way to turn them into the perfect pie. Chocolate and coconut? Yes, please!
In 2000, Idaho made the huckleberry its state fruit, and in 2018, one fourth-grade class
pushed Idaho lawmakers to get in ahead of Utah and claim huckleberry pie too. According
to The Spokesman, the law passed with only a couple of party poopers who clearly had
something against pie. What are huckleberries? They're like a strong blueberry, and people
aren't the only ones who love them. Here's a fun fact: They can make up as much of a
third of a grizzly bear's diet.
We couldn't have autumn desserts without pumpkin, and we couldn't have pumpkin without Illinois.
According to State Symbols USA, about 85 percent of all pumpkin eaten in the country comes
from Illinois. So it only makes sense that in 2015, the state made the pumpkin pie the
official state pie, going on record and declaring their love for this distinctly American dessert.
What do you love in pie? Sweetness? Check. Vanilla? Check. Just the right amount of sugar?
Check. Buttery goodness? Check and double check. Indiana's favorite dessert is the sugar
cream pie, a delicious concoction that likely originated in the Shaker and Amish communities.
Fun fact: It's also known as a finger pie because it was often stirred with a finger
to prevent the crust from breaking.
The idea of a sour cream and raisin pie might sound pretty weird to anyone outside of the
Midwest, but this is a popular pie with a long history. It's based on old German pie
recipes that used prunes. Since then, it's morphed into something custardy that's filled
with all kinds of old-world spice, perfect for cold winter nights.
This one's a little different in that it's not a particular pie; it's any and all pies
made by the woman dubbed one of the best pie-makers in the world in Kansas. Her name was Norma
Grubb, and she worked at the Sommerset Hall Cafe, now known as Connie's Corner Cafe, after
Good Morning America dropped in for some of her pies. Unfortunately, Grubb passed away
in 2011 at 90 years old. But her pie legacy — and her recipes — live on.
There's only one real Derby pie, and that's the one that was trademarked by Leaudra, Walter,
and George Kern. The family of bakers was at Kentucky's Melrose Inn when they made that
first chocolate-and-walnut pie, and since then, they've continued to make their pies
under the Kern's Kitchen name. They've also managed to keep their recipe top secret.
Sure, you can find knock-offs, but anyone from Kentucky knows there's only one original.
"We're still putting out the same recipe that grandparents and Uncle George started back
in the fifties."
Not all pies are sweet, and some of the best are the savory ones. Just take the Natchitoches
meat pie. It's a savory pie filled with ground beef and pork mixed with sweet peppers, onions,
garlic, pepper sauce, and a dash of cayenne for a spicy kick. These pies have been popular
for a long time. Deep South Dish says that they were one of the biggest street foods
in Natchitoches Parish going back to the late 1700s, and today, they're still a favorite
that has its own festival.
The blueberry pie is Maine's state dessert, but according to the state's official website,
it can't be just any blueberry: It has to be wild Maine blueberries. Blueberries that
grow wild in Maine were an important food source for the area's native peoples for a
long time, and it wasn't until the Civil War that the tasty wild berry was introduced to
areas outside of the region.
Maryland believes you shouldn't have to choose between cookies and pies when you can have
them both at the same time. How? We're talking about a Berger cookie pie, also known as the
Maryland bomb pie. It's basically a chess pie with Berger cookies mixed in the filling.
And what are those? They're iconic, fudge-topped shortbread cookies from Baltimore, and everything
about that sounds delicious, doesn't it?
We know — technically, Boston cream pie is a cake. But it's such a weird — and delicious
— dessert that we had to throw it in here, and here's why. It was invented at Boston's
Parker House, and they've long claimed credit for giving it that strange name. But ... no
one knows why they called it a pie instead of a cake. Maybe it just adds to the mystique?
Whatever you call it, it's delicious. It's no wonder this cake-not-pie is known nationwide.
Everyone loves sweet cherries, but tart cherries are also something special. Michigan grows
about 75 percent of the nation's tart cherries, so we had to give them the tart cherry pie.
The Unofficial National Cherry Homepage says that Michigan has been growing tart cherries
for many generations. They ripen in the summer, and that's the best time to enjoy them in
a pie.
When it came time to look at the most searched pie in Minnesota in the days leading up to
Pi Day, it was the French silk. What, exactly, goes into a French Silk pie? The filling typically
involves eggs, chocolate, and lots of sugar. It's sweet, decadent, but light, which makes
it everything you want in a dessert. No wonder so many Minnesotans are googling it.
It's got the state right in the name of the pie, so who else would get the Mississippi
mud pie? There are a lot of different versions, but it's a creamy filling in a cookie crust.
The sky's the limit! No one is entirely sure where the cake came
from, but one claim suggests that it was a dessert people would eat during the hot summer
months.
The pawpaw has been a part of Missouri history for a long time. The Missouri Department of
Conservation says it was mentioned by DeSoto when he explored the area in 1541, but it
had been around much longer than that. The News Tribune says these "false bananas" also
come with a nutritious punch, so there's a bonus to pawpaw pie, whether you live in Missouri
or not.
What's Cooking America calls the huckleberry Montana's favorite berry, and compares the
fruit to a very tart blueberry. Lewis and Clark wrote about them and noted they'd been
a favorite of the Native Americans there for a long time — so it's no wonder that slices
of huckleberry pie are still common on Montana tables.
Nebraska's favorite pie is a savory one called the runza, and it's got an impressive history.
The runza was brought to the States by German and Russian immigrants who settled in Kansas
and Nebraska. They were originally made as a quick and easy meal for laborers who had
to eat on the run, and they're still popular today. It's no wonder: In today's busy world,
you can't beat a handy meal-in-a-pie.
Nevada has a massive Basque population that brought their culture with them when they
settled there. That includes the Basque cherry pie, or gateau basque, a dessert that's got
the light, fluffy texture of cake in a pie format. Cherry is the most traditional filling
but there are others that are just as delicious.
We know — the Whoopie pie isn't a pie in the typical sense of the word, but it definitely
deserves a mention ... because who doesn't love them? There's a number of states that
each lay claim to the origin of the Whoopie pie: New Hampshire, Maine, Pennsylvania, and
Massachusetts. But the outlet also says that New Hampshire is the one to beat as far as
quality goes, so we're going to give this chocolatey treat to them.
New Jersey gets a savory pie, too: the tomato pie. What the heck is it? Eater says that
Jersey's version is basically a super-thin crust with a fraction of the cheese of a pizza,
then a ton of sauce. The state is also home to the self-proclaimed "oldest tomato pie
restaurant," Papa's, but it's not the only game in town. Others have perfected their
version of the cracker crust, smattering of cheese, and pile of sauce. It's the best part
of the pizza, taking center stage!
When Anthony Bourdain tried a Frito pie in New Mexico, it didn't go well for him — and
he managed to make a lot of people very angry.
"In only six minutes I've managed to reach a depth of self-loathing that usually takes
a night of drinking to achieve."
Houstonia says that Frito pie is as controversial as it is beloved. Let's talk about the elephant
in the room: No, it's not a traditional pie, but it definitely deserves a shout-out. It's
a can of chili, heated and poured into a bag of Fritos, then covered with cheese and onions.
There's more to New York than just a city, and when you head into the Finger Lakes region,
you'll find one of the best grape-growing and wine-making regions in the country. It
follows, then, that we're giving a nod to Upstate New York's grape pie, usually made
with Concord grapes. The pie is a lot of work, but is it ever worth it to try this delicious
dessert reminiscent of wine.
The sweet potato pie has a fascinating history in North Carolina. It's the pie that fueled
the state's fishing industry. How? Sweet potato pie has long been a staple among fishermen
since the 1800s when they would grab two or three slices — or a whole pie — to have
as a hearty breakfast before heading out on the boats. North Carolina is still a huge
producer of sweet potatoes.
Drive through North Dakota in the summer, and you'll be greeted by a beautiful sight:
fields and fields of sunflowers. The state is one of the largest producers of sunflower
oil and sunflower seeds, which aren't just a snack — they're also used in sunflower
pie. What exactly is that? Think of it as a sort of pecan pie with sunflower seeds instead
of pecans, and you're on the right track.
Ohio is proud to be the Buckeye State, and its pie is definitely the Buckeye pie. They're
not the same thing, though. While the buckeye nut is the origin of the name, the buckeyes
in this pie are the candy kind, made by mixing peanut butter and confectioners' sugar then
forming balls and dipping them in chocolate. The pie goes one step further and puts those
candy buckeyes on a graham cracker crust pie with peanut butter cream filling.
Oklahoma is definitely known for a particular kind of pie: fried pie. The recipe for Arbuckle
Mountain Fried Pies has been around for a long time, and visiting the original location
is something of a pilgrimage. Cherry or pineapple, pecan or peach, blackberry or apple, one of
their cream pies or their savory pies ... everyone has their favorite, and there's absolutely
no way to go wrong, no matter which flavor you choose.
Marionberries are an Oregon original — literally.
"They're called the cabernet of blackberries, and they were developed right here in Oregon.
Marionberries are named after Marion county."
They were invented at the Oregon State University, where they were created by crossing two different
kinds of blackberries. The result is huge berries that have a distinct flavor that's
sweet and tart at the same time, and the pie? Oh, the pie! Oregonians love making everything
from ice cream to liquor with marionberries, and pie is definitely on the list too.
Shoofly sounds like something you'd say walking through a field, not ordering off a menu ... so
what is this Pennsylvania classic? This pie comes from the Pennsylvania Dutch country,
and it's basically a molasses-based crumb pie that comes in two different versions.
"Wet bottom" pies feature a custard-like middle, while "dry bottom" has a crust with the texture
of a dry cake. It's spicy, sugary, and delicious, a pie with a strange name that would be right
at home on a Thanksgiving table anywhere in the country.
There's apple pie, and then there's apple pie made with the perfect apples. And those,
says Orange Pippin, are the Rhode Island Greening apples. Rhode Island Greening apples are one
of the oldest apples in the country and were once popular with the colonists. They go back
all the way to the 1650s. Since they're extremely hard and hardy, they hold their shape when
cooked, which is exactly what you want for a delicious apple pie. Texture is everything,
after all, and there's a reason Rhode Island's Greenings are still popular after hundreds
of years.
Southern Living calls cream pies "a southern tradition" and says that the South Carolina
coconut cream pie is nothing short of "ethereal." It's light and fluffy, a light pastry or cookie-crumb
crust filled with something akin to pudding. Picture a hot afternoon in the Carolinas,
and think about what you might like to eat. What would be better than a slice of light,
chilled coconut cream pie?
South Dakota's state dessert is the kuchen, and even though South Dakota Magazine says
"kuchen" translates to "cake," it's more along the lines of what we think of as a pie: a
sweet dough with a custard or fruit filling. The kuchen has a long history, and it was
brought to South Dakota by those who settled there from Germany.
The Old Mill says that one of their favorite Tennessee desserts is the chess pie, a perfect
example of how something delicious can be made with the most basic of ingredients. The
chess pie is basically a buttermilk pie without the buttermilk. Because lemons were expensive
and hard to source, creative bakers used vinegar instead. Cornmeal was used to thicken the
filling, and the result was a testament to Southern ingenuity when home cooks across
the region still found ways to feed their families something tasty even during tough
times.
Pecans are as American as apple pie. Pecans were grown by Native Americans for a long
time, and it wasn't until the 1870s that Texas cookbooks started including recipes with pecans.
Then, it wasn't until 1898 until there was a recipe of what we would now call pecan pie.
For a few decades, Texas had pecan pie all to themselves, until syrup manufacturer Karo
hopped on board in the 1920s. Their promotion helped it become popular outside of Texas.
The Los Angeles Times says that Salt Lake City is the country's, quote, "JELL-O eating
capital," and the wiggly, jiggly JELL-O pie is a natural fit. It's a quick and easy dessert
that can be made in any flavor, doesn't need to be baked, and takes only a few ingredients,
so it's a total win. What started Utah's love affair with JELL-O? Clever marketing campaigns
that appealed to the state's Mormon community and presented them with a dessert they could
enjoy.
Vermont is the country's largest producer of maple syrup, and it's been years and years
since European settlers were first shown how to draw sap and make syrup by the native peoples.
It's still incredibly hard work, even though horses have now been replaced by more efficient
tractors. This multi-generational treat is the most important ingredient in maple pies.
Love it on pancakes? You'll love it in a pie.
Imagine a pecan pie. Now, replace the pecans with peanuts. Just like that, you've got a
peanut pie. And while Southern Living calls it "a southern treasure," we're giving this
salty dessert to Virginia. Why? Because the best peanut pies are made with Virginia peanuts,
and diners in the state still make some of the best peanut pies in the country. In other
words, if you're going through, you should definitely make a stop for some peanut pie.
It's worth the detour for this classic dessert.
Washington loves its rhubarb, and the state produces the largest commercial rhubarb crop
in the country. Washingtonians take their rhubarb very seriously, and Sumner, Washington,
is even the Rhubarb Pie Capital of the World. The great thing about pie made from this incredibly
versatile ingredient? Not only do a few plants produce more rhubarb than you'll probably
know what to do with, there's also a ton of things you can add to it. Strawberry-rhubarb?
Rhubarb-lemon? How about a rhubarb-meringue? The possibilities are almost endless.
Whether you're talking about a pawpaw cream pie or pawpaw tarts, you're still using a
fruit that West Virginia Tourism says has earned the nickname of the "West Virginia
banana." It's been a part of the state's history since the Hatfields and the McCoys waged one
of their bloodiest fights around a pawpaw stand. And today? You don't have to work quite
so hard to find these oblong fruits with the custardy center, but try a pie made with them,
and you'll understand what all the fuss is about.
When it comes to cranberries, we can all thank Wisconsin for getting them to our tables:
Wisconsin Cranberries says the state harvests just over half — 60 percent — of the nation's
cranberries. And even if you're not a fan of the stuff in the can that makes an appearance
every Thanksgiving, try their cranberry pie. Go on! Typically filled with not just cranberries
but walnuts, butter, and nutmeg too, it's the perfect autumn pie for Thanksgiving ... or
any other fall occasion.
The Billings Gazette says chokecherries are number one in Wyoming, noting that they're
made into all kinds of treats. But first and foremost? Pies. So, what are they? Britannica
says they're small, shrubby trees that are part of the rose family, and they produce
tart, cherry-like fruits. It's the green and yellow chokecherries that are native to Wyoming,
but no matter what the color, the pie is a delicious favorite, especially for those who
don't like their desserts quite so sweet.
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