Page 49 - United States of Pie

AS AMERICAN AS APPLE PIE

Whether you hail from California or Connecticut, Alabama or
Idaho, chances are that at some point you’ve had a slice of apple pie
for dessert. More than half of the states in the Union grow apples.

From New York State’s Ginger Gold to Braeburns from Washington
or Honeycrisps from Minnesota, there is an apple that caters to each
American’s taste. Though this book is all about regional pies, it only
makes sense to begin with the one pie that is quintessentially
American. Apple pie is ingrained in our culture, part of our collective
identity. Like hot dogs sizzling at a backyard barbecue, turkeys

roasting to a golden hue at Thanksgiving, and gooey s’mores eaten
next to a campfire, apple pie has become a culinary tradition, so
much so that one-third of all Americans cite apple as their favorite
kind of pie.
The phrase “as American as apple pie” is actually a shortened
version of “as American as motherhood and apple pie.” While
everyone on earth has a mother (that’s biology for you) and the

apple pie originates in fact from England, not America, the saying is
emblematic of a sentiment. This pie is meant to signal home
(wherever that may be), family, warmth—all the attributes that we
think of when we think of Mom. But this saying means more than just
Mom. For me, apple pie exemplifies an essential feature of pie

making—the transformation of a pile of ingredients into a beautiful
dessert. The apple pie isn’t fussy: just a handful of fruit, gently
tossed together, tumbled into a pie plate, and baked in a tempting
crust. It is noble, simple, and unpretentious—kind of like Mom. You
can eat apple pie in any state, in any town. Not affiliated with a
holiday, nor eaten in any particular month, it is just plain good.
With this in mind, I knew that the apple pie in this book had to be a
standout. So, in my search for the quintessential apple pie, I tested

many recipes, with many different varieties of apples. In the end, I