I ate something protected. I ate a Cornish Pasty.
I've had many pasties in my life, but never a Cornish one. Little did I know that I was stepping into controversial territory with this challenge. As it turns out, the Cornish pasty is now a protected species.
Recently, the Cornish Pasty has been granted Protected Geographical Indication status. This basically means that you can't call something a Cornish pasty unless:
- it follows a traditional recipe (beef or mince, swede, potato and onion with a light peppery seasoning)
- it is in a distinctive 'D' shape and is crimped on the SIDE (not the top!)
- it is made in Cornwall
Fair enough I say. Although, it does make me wonder about the 'French' fry.
So, being the modern lady, I googled 'best places for Cornish pasties' and found a list. Luckily, one of those places was in village we were planning to visit. So I dragged my parents down some street in Looe to find 'Sarah's Pasty Shop'. Guess what is sold there? You got it. French fries.
After purchasing our pasties, we walked down to the water's edge to enjoy them. I'm not sure how 'traditional' it was of me to cover mine with tomato sauce but hey, it tasted good.
The pastry really was the highlight. Ridiculously golden, thick, yet light. Crunchy. Not sure about the insides but it was fairly tasty. I don't think I'll be rushing out for another one. In fact, the idea of one makes me feel slightly ill. Glad I only got a medium one...
Aside from a slight nauseated feeling, my pasty challenge left me with some interesting facts about pasties. For example, pasties have existed for 200 years and were originally eaten by poorer families and working men in particular. The crimping on the side made a handy handle (ha!) for tin miners and was discarded afterwards because of the arsenic in the mines.
Part of the Cornish identity and now a protected species. Not a bad effort for the pasty really. And not a bad way to fill a hungry stomach on a windy spring day by the sea.
No comments:
Post a Comment