Cottage pie

Cottage pie
An example of cottage pie, made with minced beef
Alternative names	Shepherd's pie
Type	Meat pie
Place of origin	UK, Ireland
Main ingredients	mashed potatoes
Variations	Cumberland pie, Shepherdess pie
Cottage pie

Cottage pie or shepherd's pie is a meat pie with a crust of mashed potato.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

Etymology

The term cottage pie was in use by 1791,^[2][6] when the potato was being introduced as an edible crop affordable for the poor (cf. "cottage" meaning a modest dwelling for rural workers).

History

In early cookery books, the dish was a means of using leftover roasted meat of any kind, and the pie dish was lined with mashed potato as well as having a mashed potato crust on top.^[7][8]

The term "shepherd's pie" did not appear until 1877,^[2] and since then it has been used synonymously with "cottage pie", regardless of whether the principal ingredient was beef or mutton.^{[1][4][9][7][8][10][11]} More recently, the term "shepherd's pie" has been used when the meat is lamb,^[12][13] the theory being that shepherds are concerned with sheep^[14] and not cattle^[15][16][17] (see folk etymology).

Variations

• A St. Stephen's Day pie is made using turkey and ham.^[18]
• The Cumberland pie is a version with a layer of breadcrumb on top.^[19]
• A similar English dish made with fish is a fish pie.

See also

• Antoine-Augustin Parmentier
• Corned beef pie
• Pot pie
• Tourtiere
• British cuisine
• Irish cuisine
• List of Irish dishes
• List of pies, tarts and flans

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cottage pie.

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