Sweet potato pie

Sweet potato pie
A slice of sweet potato pie
Type Pie
Course Dessert
Place of origin United States
Region or state Southern United States
Main ingredients Pie shell, sweet potatoes, milk, sugar, eggs

Sweet potato pie is a traditional dessert, originating in the Southern United States. It is often served during the American holiday season, especially at Thanksgiving and Christmas in place of pumpkin pie, which is more traditional in the northern United States.

It is made in an open pie shell without a top crust. The filling consists of mashed sweet potatoes, evaporated milk, sugar, spices such as nutmeg, and eggs. Other possible ingredients include vanilla or lemon extracts. The baked custard filling may vary from a light and silky to dense, depending on the recipe's ratio of mashed potato, milk and eggs.

History

Though creamy vegetable pie recipes date back to Medieval Europe, sweet potato pie appears in the southern United States from the early colonial days.[1] Like many sweet potato recipes, sweet potato pie was likely developed by African-American slaves from traditional African cuisine, making it a staple of soul food today.[2] Recipes for sweet potato pie first appeared in printed cookbooks in the 18th century, where it was included with savory vegetable dishes. By the 19th century, sweet potato pie was more commonly classified as a dessert.[1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Oliver, Lynne (1999). "Sweet Potato Pie". Food Timeline.
  2. ↑ Neal, Bill (1996). Biscuits, Spoonbread, and Sweet Potato Pie. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 978-0807854747.
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