The first ever recorded ‘apple pie’ recipe from 14th century England contained more pears than apples and was baked in a crust called a ‘coffyn’.
This recipe, recorded around the year 1381, gives us a look at what our ancestors truly ate.
It wasn’t just a simple apple dessert. The filling was a rich mixture of apples, pears, figs, and raisins. A far cry from what we see today.
The real show of wealth wasn’t the fruit, but the spices. Saffron, which was worth more than its weight in gold, was a key ingredient, giving the pie a golden color and a distinct flavor.
There was no refined sugar in the recipe. All the sweetness came naturally from the fruits and perhaps a bit of honey, not from the processed sugars we rely on now.
The word ‘coffyn’ didn’t mean what it means today. It came from an old word for a box or case, and in this context, it just meant a sturdy pastry shell.
This thick, hard crust wasn’t always eaten. Its main purpose was to act as a durable, edible container that could preserve the fruit filling inside for days, making it a portable meal.
So the original apple pie was less of a sweet dessert and more of a hearty, preserved meal for the wealthy, a world away from the classic American treat.
Sources: The Berkshire Edge, South Florida Reporter, The French Life, Splendry