As American As Apple Pie? :: Essays Papers

As American As Apple Pie? Every American has heard the saying "as American as apple pie." But, there's no question about it--apple pie did not originate in the U.S., at all! "In fact, the apple pie predates our country's settlement by hundreds of years,† (112) writes Lee Edwards Benning in Cook's Tales. When the Pilgrims set to sea they brought with them their homeland's recipes. So, we know how the ole apple pie got to America, but why the saying? Where does it come from and what does "as American as apple pie" mean? From all historical accounts, it seems that fruit pies as we now know them were invented by the Pennsylvania Dutch. Women in the southeastern counties of the state made delicious, crispy pies encasing every fruit in the region. â€Å"It may be,† states Frederick Klees, â€Å"that during the Revolution men from the other colonies came to know this dish in Pennsylvania and carried this knowledge back home to establish pie as the great American dessert† (191). Additionally, this pie gained popularity at the triumphant end of the war and the beginning of our country. The recipe migrated north, farmer’s wives learned to make this more involved pie, and consumption swelled. Colonists loved pie so much they ate it for every meal, but, notably, not every farmer could afford it. Thus, pies evolved into a symbol of status. Thomas Jefferson made his own recipe, Ben Franklin grew prize apples in his backyard for his pies, and Martha Washington even served thi s dessert at diplomatic dinners! Indeed it is the fruition of this unique, thick, two-crusted apple pie, rather than the thin, one-crust English pie, in which we invest our pride. Ever wonder why July 4th parties are marked by apple pies? It’s a carryover from first Independence Day celebrations when the apple pie was at its peak importance to Americans. So, â€Å" as American as apple pie† implies the improvement of what was once British; it is the mark of prosperity, freedom, and status as the apple pie represented to our ancestors. It is not a mistaken saying or an ignorant remark.