CONVERGENCE NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2016

Food Indulgence
BISTEEYA
A traditional Moroccan meat pie served
at the beginning of important meals,
Bisteeya is usually made with shredded
chicken or pigeon. The meat is slowly
cooked in a broth with spices that
include garlic, ground ginger and
turmeric. The meat is then encased in a
thin dough which is toasted and coated
in ground almonds, cinnamon and sugar.
APPLE
“As American as apple pie.” Synonymous
to the Americans, apple pies have been
around most probably since the Middle
Ages. However, the true origins of the
pie remain uncertain as many countries
have laid claims to owning the pie. In
the Netherlands, it is known as
‘appelkruimeltaart’ or ‘appeltaart’ while
the Germans refer to it as ‘apfelstrudel’
and the earliest known written recipe
dates back to 1318 in a book by English
author and poet Geoffrey Chaucer.
COULIBIAC
A coulibiac is a Russian dish consisting
of a filled pie usually made with salmon,
sturgeon, rice or buckwheat, onions, dill
and hard-boiled eggs. The pie is baked
in a pastry shell that’s made usually out
of brioche or puff pastry. The dish was
so popular in Russia in the early part of
the 20th century that the famed French
chef Auguste Escoffier even brought it
to France!
BLUEBERRY
Blueberry pie was first eaten by early
American settlers and remains a popular
dessert in the United States and
Canada. Did you know that the US state
of Maine has blueberry pies listed as
the state’s official dessert? A typical
ingredient for blueberry pie is rinsed
and stemmed blueberries. The berries
can be frozen or fresh. Other ingredients
include flour, cinnamon, sugar and
butter as recipes may vary according to
the ingredients available.
COTTAGE
The Cottage pie or Shepherd’s pie is a
meat pie with a crust of mashed
potatoes. A savoury British delight, the
pie came about after people realised
there was a way to use leftover roasted
meat. Other ingredients in this pie
include mushrooms, tomato paste and
white cheddar cheese. The term
Shepherd’s pie is only used when the
meat filling is lamb.
AUSTRALIAN MEAT PIE
So, get this. This pie comes with ketchup.
I think we hear you cringing already at
the sight of ketchup on your pie. But,
hey, the Aussies love it. The Australian
meat pie is similar to the British steak
pie. The meat pie is a small hand-sized
pie filled with minced meat and topped
with tomato sauce. The Kiwis’ next door
love these ketchup pies too.
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