14 Traditional Pies from Around the World

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Who doesn’t love pie?  Who doesn’t love an excuse to eat more pie?  Every year, math fans from around the world gear up to celebrate their favorite Pi related holiday.  That’s right math fans and pie fans gear up every year to celebrate π.  π is a magical number that is the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter.  Pi is an irrational number that has been calculated out to 2.7 trillion digits.  Most Pi fans just go with 3.14 which stands for March 14.  My favorite pi day was it 2015 when the date was 3.14.15 which happens to be the first 6 digits of pi.   At 3.14.15 at 9:26 am, the first eight digits of pi were displayed on clocks.  This event happens once an every 100-years.  Here are 14 traditional pies from around the world to celebrate Pi day.

You will find a little history on the pie as well as a link to the recipe to make pie.

Want more pies from around the world?  Check out Part 2 with 14 Traditional Pies from around the world.  

1 . Apple Pie – Netherlands

Traditional Pies from Around the World - Apple Pie
Photo Credit: Recycle Micol

Apple Pie is considered an American desert but what most American’s consider as “their Apple Pie” is actually a Dutch desert.   The pie has a crust on the bottom and around the edges.   It is filled with a tart apple slices coated in cinnamon and sugar.  The pie is topped with either the appelkruimeltaart (crumb topping) or appeltaart (lattice topping).

 

2. Bisteeva – Morocco

Traditional Pies from Around the World - Bisteeva or Pastilla
Photo Credit: Raffaele Nicolussi

Bisteeva is Moroccan meat pie usually made with shredded pigeon or chicken.  The meat is slowly cooked in a broth with spices.  It is then in werpa dough, a thin dough that is thinner than phyllo.  The dough is toasted and coated in ground almonds, cinnamon, and sugar.  The Bisteeva is traditional served at the beginning of important meals.

3. Bundevara – Serbia

Traditional Pies from Around the World - Bundevara
Photo Credit: Rowan Robinson

Bundevara is a Serbian sweet pie.  It is a cross between a strudel and a pumpkin pie.  The pie is made using phyllo dough.  The pumpkin filling is made with pumpkin pulp mixed with nutmeg, cinnamon, or other spices.  Occasional made with raisins and lemon rinds.  It is can be served hot or cold and is dusted with vanilla sugar.

4. Empanadas – Spain

Traditional Pies from Around the World - Empanadas
Photo Credit: Lily

Empanadas are a fried pastry from the Galicia region of Spain.  They are popular through the Latin world.  The fillings range from beef, chorizo, fish, cheese, or vegetables.  They are made by folding dough around the filling and then deep frying.

5. Key Lime Pie – Florida, United States

Traditional Pies from Around the World - Key Lime Pie
Photo Credit: Nicole Marietta

Key Lime Pie is from Key West, Florida.  Key Lime pie is made from the small Key limes that grow throughout the Florida Keys.  Key Lime Pies are made from eggs, sweetened condensed milk and lime juice in a pie crust.  Most Key Lime pies are dyed bright green since Key Lime juice is pale yellow.

6. Meat Pie – Australia

Traditional Pies from Around the World - Meat Pie
Photo Credit: Takuya YAGATA

The Australia meat pie is similar to the British Steak pie.  The meat pie is a small hand-sized pie.  It is filled with minced meat and topped with a tomato sauce.  These small pies are also popular with Australia’s neighbor New Zealand.

7. Pecan Pie – Georgia, United States

Traditional Pies from Around the World - Pecan Pie
Photo Credit: Laura Flowers

Pecan Pie is a classic southern United States desert.  It is made using pecans and a sugar syrup.  Depending on the region, it is also made with bourbon whiskey or other spices.  It has a bottom crust and whole pecans on the top.  It is usually served with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

8. Pizza – Italy

Traditional Pies from Around the World - Pizza
Photo Credit: Mike Quest

Pizza is a traditional Italian pie. The original pizza was baked bread with flavored topping. The modern pizza with tomato sauce and cheese weren’t developed until after the discovery of the Americas and tomatoes were brought to Italy.

9. Quiche – France

Traditional Pies from Around the World - Quiche
Photo Credit: Jurga M.

Quiche is a classic in French cuisine.  While a stable of France, Quiche was originally from Germany. This pie is made with a pastry crust and custard filling.  The custard can contain meat, cheese or vegetables. 

10. Cottage Pie – United Kingdoms

Traditional Pies from Around the World - Cottage Pie
Photo Credit: Chef Mick (Michaelangelo) Rosacci

Cottage pie is a British savory pie.  Originally the pie was made using leftover roasted meat.  The meat was covered with potatoes to form a crust.  Another term for cottage pie is shepherd’s pie.  This term is only used when the meat filling is lamb.

11. Shoofly Pie – Pennsylvania, United States

Traditional Pies from Around the World - Shoofly Pie
Photo Credit: Lengs83

Shoo-fly pie is a pie from the Pennsylvania Dutch region of the United States..  It is similar to the treacle tart but is made molasses.  It’s name comes from having to shoo the flies away from the pie. So shoo fly get off of my pie.

12. Spanakopita – Greece

Traditional Pies from Around the World - Spanakopita
Photo Credit: RecipeSnobs

Spanakopita is a Greek pie.  It is made using a Spanish, feta cheese, onions, and eggs. The filling is used to fill a phyllo dough or a flour dough wrapper.  This pie is traditionally eaten as a snack in Greece.

13. Sugar Pie – Belguim

Traditional Pies from Around the World - Sugar Pie
Photo Credit: Luke Healey

A sugar pie is from Belgium and northern France.  It is a pie crust filled with a custard.  The custard is made from flour, butter, vanilla, cream and a sugar.  It is made using either brown sugar or maple syrup.  While backing the pie is stirred with a finger in order to prevent damage to the crust.

14. Tourtière – Quebec, Canada

Traditional Pies from Around the World - Tourtière
Photo Credit: Jeanne

Tourtière is a savory meat pie from Quebec, Canada.  It is traditionally served during Christmas and New Year’s Eve, but is sold year around.   It is meat filling is made from what any available meat including wild game.  It is cooked in a pan called a tourtière.

Do you have a favorite from my list traditional pies from around the world?

19 thoughts on “14 Traditional Pies from Around the World”

  1. Hummm… Delicious!
    I’m mouth watering now! For more delicious sweet pie, check out a traditional brazilian recipe: Quindim, made of sugar, eggs and coconut… Haven!!!
    Happy travels!
    Nat 😀

  2. My stomach is growling right now. I’m proud to say that I’ve tried all these pies except for Bisteeva, Bundevara, Shoofly, Sugar and Tourtiere. I can’t wait to travel to these locations and dive into these delicious pies!

  3. I love this list! Though I had to laugh at the fact that I’ve lived in Pennsylvania for 20 years and never had Shoofly Pie 🙂

  4. How can I pick a favourite when they are all making my mouth water 😉 As a pie-lover I love this post! Not only did it challenge me (I hadn’t heard of a few of these) but it’s made me appreciate the differences in worldly cuisine. Now if I could only find where I put that pizza…

    1. You lost a pizza. How dare you! Pie always makes my mouth water. This was a fun post to write although it did make me hungry.

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