Chess pie

Chess pie
Pie
A vanilla buttermilk chess pie
Main ingredient(s):
Pie crust, eggs, butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, corn meal
Recipes at Wikibooks:
Chess pie
Media at Wikimedia Commons:
Chess pie

Chess pie is a dessert characteristic of Southern U.S. cuisine.

History

According to James Beard's American Cookery (1972) chess pie was brought from England originally, and was found in New England as well as Virginia. The origin of the name of chess pie may have come from the term "pie chest", another name for a pie safe.^[1]

Composition

Recipes vary, but are generally similar in that they call for the preparation of a single crust and a filling composed of eggs, butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla. What sets chess pie apart from many other custard pies is the addition of cornmeal. Some recipes also call for corn syrup, which tends to create a more gelatinous consistency. The pie is then baked. The finished product is often consumed with coffee.

Similar pies

Chess pie is closely related to vinegar pie, and the two terms are often used interchangeably. Vinegar pie generally adds somewhere between a teaspoonful and tablespoonful of vinegar to the above ingredients to reduce the sweetness. Some variations are called Jeff Davis or Jefferson Davis Pie, and Kentucky pie.

Although preparation of a pecan pie is similar (with the obvious addition of pecans), pecan pies usually contain corn syrup.

Lemon chess pie is a form of chess pie that is popular in Southern states in America made with lemon juice.

References

v t e American pies Sweet Apple crisp Apple pie Bean pie Blackberry pie Blueberry pie Bob Andy pie Buttermilk pie Cherry pie Chess pie Cream pie Derby pie Fried pie Key lime pie Lemon ice box pie Lemon meringue pie Mississippi mud pie Pecan pie Pumpkin pie Rhubarb pie Shoofly pie Strawberry rhubarb pie Sweet potato pie Savory Crawfish pie Pot pie Natchitoches meat pie Manufacturers Hostess Kellogg Company Little Debbie Marie Callender's Sara Lee Tasty Baking Company

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chess pies.