What could be more American than a slice of Mom’s apple pie? It’s National Pie Day today and what better to mark the day than a flaky slice of our favorite pie, ice cream optional, of course. As we celebrate, remember what pastry has recently been crowned “the next cupcake" by the trendmeisters who do that sort of thing: the humble pie.
According to the American Pie Council, approximately $700 million in pies (that’s 186 million units) are sold just in grocery stores each year. Mintel estimated the 2010 market just for shelf-stable pies at nearly $240 million, with a 12% increase from 2008 to 2010. The Council estimated those 186 million pies were lined up, they would more than circle the globe, And by the way this does not count the pies serviced in foodservice or sold at price clubs, so the market for pies is certainly worth...well...a lot of dough.
Why pies? Perhaps it’s that comfort thing we all crave in an uncertain world, nostalgia for Mom’s apple or pumpkin pie
In fact, the American Pie Council says that America’s favorite is apple pie, preferred by nearly one out of five (19%) of Americans. This is followed by pumpkin (13%), pecan (12%), banana cream (10%) and cherry (9%). That leaves 37% of us craving something beyond the basics.
While most think of pie in a traditional fruit-in-a-round-pastry-crust format, pies go much further than that. Pies, tarts and galettes are all basically the same concept. What a pie has going for it that a cupcake doesn’t is that the traditional fruity fillings have a health halo unmatched by the ingredients in a typical cupcake. There may even be an inate preference for pie: the American Pie Council notes that when asked “what dessert Americans would prefer a friend or family member bring to their house for a holiday dinner," 29% said pie vs. 17% for cake. In our family, the requests for a birthday pie, far outweigh those for a birthday cake, and I doubt we’re unique.
While the cupcake does have that single-serve (in theory) concept going for it, pies can do that, too. A tart-sized pie can satisfy the high-end, gourmet market, while a handheld format can satisfy yum on the run. Given our yearning for nostalgia, we might soon experience the return of Hostess fruit pies or McDonald’s fried pies (with the requisite warning about the drippy, hot, molten filling causing burns to keep the lawyers happy).
In fact, McDonald’s still serves the occasional fried pie according to rumors on the internet. And they still make them for the international customer here and there, such as the Blueberry Custard Pie in Pakistan and the Mango Pineapple Pie in Taiwan. Even more interesting is the Taro Pie in China, the Corn Pie in Thailand and the Bacon and Potato Pie in Japan. Because when you think of Japanese food, potato and bacon are at the top of the list. Or maybe it’s someone’s interpretation of an American pie.
And that leads us to something not often mentioned when we talk about pies—the savory pie. I can’t remember how many of those bargain pot pies we ate as starving students. (At the risk of dating myself, I recall they were often two or three for a dollar). But those have morphed into more-gourmet versions in the frozen case. And meat pies might be a trending product if the invasion of New York City by Aussie/New Zealand pie shops like DUB Pies and Pie Face is an indication.
NYC not trendy enough? Looks like Wolfgang Puck is serving chicken pot pies at this year’s Governor's Ball that follows the Academy Awards.
So, on National Pie Day, all hail the pie, American and otherwise. But remember, while the American Pie Council tells us that 113 million of us have eaten pie for breakfast, well, they’re not just for breakfast anymore.
