Pasty Complexion (Cornish Tales 3)

The Pasty;

It is so much more than a baked savoury offering.

It is a legend, wrapped up in an enigma and encased in shortcrust, rough puff or puff pastry.

It takes a trip to the county of Cornwall to appreciate what really is a proper and authentic pasty as there are many that profess to that title.

Since 2011, however, under Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) the pale imitations have had to surrender their false identity with the product and the Cornish Pasty reigns supreme.

So what is in the genuine article?

This is dictated by the Cornish Pasty Association whose mandatory filling ingredients are stated as
a) sliced or diced potato
b)swede,
c)onion,
d)diced or minced beef
e)seasoning to taste, primarily salt and pepper.

It is stipulated that no meat other than beef can be used and the same goes for the list of vegetables. Confusion can abound where ,for example, the indigenous Cornish folk sometimes call a swede a turnip  and arguments and controversy can occur with the use of carrot which although regularly used is often frowned upon.

The legitimate  ingredients furthermore must not be less than 12% and 25% respectively and must be uncooked at the time of their sealing up in the pastry.

As for the casing this must be fairly durable being required to hold in the filling and its shape and not split or crack.The designated PGI also rules that a Cornish Pasty must be in a "D" shape with crimping along the curve termed side crimped although within the borders of the County some advocate a top crimp as being more authentic.

The legend held by many, even those who have been corrupted by a Greggs Pasty, is that a part savoury and part sweet version was a favourite of those working away underground in the coal and tin mines thereby providing a compact,portable and nourishing meal and at low cost. The crimped edge was used as a handle to digest more easily although this was in itself hazardous due to the high levels of arsenic in the tin mines which could be ingested unwittingly.

A myth often referred to is that a well baked pasty should be able to withstand a drop down a pit shaft.

No " two course pasties" are produced commercially in Cornwall although the UK National Supermarket, Morrisons has at one time sold what they called "The Miner Pasty".

That is not to say that variations do thrive and the Annual Pasty Championships does have categories for exotic and weird combinations which are hard fought over by enthusiastic and skilled amateur cooks.

The pasty has survived through time even with changes in eating habits, fads and trends and socio-democratic pressures and indeed thrives as a popular snack and as a main course.

There is also a wealth of history to confirm the significance of the pasty in the culinary heritage of Cornwall. The first references are from the 13th Century before becoming a staple of the diet of the impoverished who often could even not afford any meat for the filling.

By the early 20th century the Cornish Pasty was produced on a large scale to meet the demands of a wider working population.

My trip to Cornwall last week just had to include the purchase of a proper Pasty. There was a great choice from, in Padstow, local bakers as well as large and rather bland retail chains.

As for the best pasty in the world, well, that is easy. It's the one you hold in both hands and feast on when you are really hungry.