Jefferson Davis pie is similar to chess pie, but Jefferson Davis pie may also contain spices, nuts, or dried fruits and is usually topped with meringue.[2]
History
It's unknown where the name chess pie came from, although there are several well-known theories.[3] The most likely is "chess-cake pie", as in cheese cake pie, became chess pie over time.[4]Martha Washington's Chess Cake recipe is very similar to today's chess pie.[5][6] The 1881 cookbook Buckeye Cookery—With Hints on Practical Housekeeping included a recipe submitted by Mrs. J. Carson of Glendale, Minnesota.[7] The recipe maintained the basic custard ingredients of eggs, butter, and sugar, but the egg whites were whipped into a meringue and spread on top.[8]
One of the most popular theories is that it is an eggcorn of "It's just pie" due to a misinterpretation of the pronunciation "It's jes' pie" in Southern American English. The pie was thought to be so simple any home cook with eggs, butter and sugar would know what to do.[6][9][10]
It is the South's most searched for Thanksgiving Pie.[11] Despite the pie's iconic status in the South, no recipe for "Chess Pie" appears in the first Southern cookbook, Mary Randolph's 1824 The Virginia Housewife. One food historian explains the early recipes for transparent pudding, such as "Mary Randolph's Transparent Pudding" (containing no milk) in the 1825 edition are "for all intents and purposes chess pie". Recipes for "Chess Pie" made without milk can be found in early 20th-century cookbooks.[12]
Variations of the chess pie include transparent pie, molasses pie, brown sugar pie, syrup pie, and vinegar pie.[13]
Composition
The basic chess pie recipe calls for the preparation of a single crust and a filling composed of flour, butter, sugar, and eggs and milk or condensed milk. Some variations call for the addition of cornmeal as a thickener. Many recipes call for an acid such as vinegar, buttermilk, or lemon juice.[14][15]
Recipes dating from the 19th century typically including eggs, butter, sugar, and vinegar baked in a pie crust, with regional variations.[16]
In addition to standard chess pie, other flavor variations include lemon, coconut, and chocolate chess pie.[17] Some nut pies, including some pecan, fall under the category of chess pies.[18] Traditional pecan pie recipes do not include milk or condensed milk in the filling, and are typically regarded as a type of sugar pie similar to British treacle rather than a milk-containing custard (see Pecan pie § Variations).
^Kaufman, Cathy K. (2007). "Pastries". In Smith, Andrew F. (ed.). The Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink. Oxford University Press. p. 438. ISBN978-0-19-530796-2. OCLC71833329.
^"Chess pie". Britannica. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
^"chess pie". Dictionary of American Regional English. Archived from the original on April 17, 2024. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
Weinstein, Jay (2007). "Karo Syrup". In Smith, Andrew F. (ed.). The Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink. Oxford University Press. p. 339. ISBN978-0-19-530796-2. OCLC71833329.
