An old postcard from Cornwall
The origins of the pasty are largely unknown. It is generally accepted that the
pasty (as we know it today), originates from Cornwall. Tradition claims that the
pasty was originally made as lunch ('croust' or 'crib' in the
Cornish language) for Cornish tin miners who were unable to return to the
surface to eat. The story goes that, covered in dirt from head to foot
(including some arsenic often found with tin), they could hold the pasty by the
folded crust and eat the rest without touching it, discarding the dirty pastry.
The pastry they threw away was supposed to appease the knockers, capricious
spirits in the mines who might otherwise lead miners into danger.[1] A related
tradition holds that it is bad luck for fishermen to take pasties to sea.
Pasties were also popular with farmers and labourers.
The pasty's dense, folded pastry could stay warm for 8 to 10 hours and,
when carried close to the body, could help the miners stay warm.[2] In such
pasties, the meat and each vegetable would each have its own pastry
"compartment," separated by a pastry partition. Traditional bakers in
former mining towns will still bake pasties with fillings to order, marking the
customer's initials with raised pastry. This practice was started because
the miners used to eat part of their pasty for breakfast and leave the remainder
for lunch; the initials enabled them to find their own pasties.[3] Some mines
kept large ovens to keep the pasties warm until mealtime. It is said that a good
pasty should be strong enough to endure being dropped down a mine shaft.[4] It
was also said by miners in the Butte, Montana, USA area, that a pasty was
"as welcome as a letter from 'ome (home)." [5]
Pasties are still very popular throughout Devon, Cornwall, Wales, other parts
of the United Kingdom, Ireland and Brittany. Pasties in these areas are usually
hand-made and sold in bakeries or sometimes specialist pasty shops. Mass
produced pasties, quite different from traditional Cornish pasties, are sold in
supermarkets throughout the United Kingdom. Several pasty shop chains have also
opened up in recent years, selling pasties better than the mass-produced ones
with a variety of fillings. Pasties are often eaten on the move like other fast
foods.
The true region from which pasties originated is hotly disputed between
Cornwall and Devon; and some areas of Devon where ancient references to pasties
have been found were originally part of Cornwall[citation needed]. Outside
Britain, pasties were generally brought to new regions by Cornish miners, and as
such are referred to as a Cornish invention.
In many Latin American countries empanadas are made; they are similar in shape
to Cornish pasties, though usually made without potato—minced beef, chicken,
and maize are common fillings. They may be baked or fried.