When is a Cornish Pasty not a Cornish Pasty? When it's not Cornish

sparky

Authoritarian
Staff member
Administrator
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A pasty can now only be called a 'Cornish pasty' if it has been made in Cornwall from a traditional recipe. The Cornish Pasty Association (CPA) has won its petition at the European Commission to gain Protected Geographic Indication (PGI) status for Cornish pasties saying it wanted to protect its 'quality and reputation'.
Cornish pasties now join Cornish clotted cream and Cornish sardines which also boast PGI status.
The CPA has defined a traditional Cornish pasty recipe as being crimped not on the top but at the side, in a distinctive 'D' shape.
The birth of the pasty can be traced back to Cornwall's mines, where a hearty meal could be consumed safely, the miner using the crust (or 'croust') to hold on to his lunch.
Original Cornish pasties would have meat and vegetables at one end with a sweet bite of jam or fruit at the other, although modern pasties can have just about any imaginable filling. What's your favourite?
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Tropicgal

Janner/ Senior Member
I'm Cornish and I can make a pretty good pasty but because I live in Bermuda I can't call it a 'Cornish Pasty'?? Doesn't seem fair to me :)
By the way I can buy some pretty poor excuses for pasties here. Several years ago I bought one from one of the local supermarkets, when I ate it I found it contained peas and carrots!!! I called up the baker at the store and told him the only thing Cornish about his pasties was the fact I was eating one!! When I asked him where he learned to make pasties he told me -Cayman Islands!!! Explains a lot!
 

treeve

Major Contributor
About time that was clarified, but depending on use can be extended without any sales intent.
 

Halfhidden

Untouchable
Administrator
I'm Cornish and I can make a pretty good pasty but because I live in Bermuda I can't call it a 'Cornish Pasty'?? Doesn't seem fair to me :)
By the way I can buy some pretty poor excuses for pasties here. Several years ago I bought one from one of the local supermarkets, when I ate it I found it contained peas and carrots!!! I called up the baker at the store and told him the only thing Cornish about his pasties was the fact I was eating one!! When I asked him where he learned to make pasties he told me -Cayman Islands!!! Explains a lot!
Nothing stopping you calling it a Cornish pasty, just that you can't commercialise on that as a Cornish pasty for the reasons you quoted. ::15:
 

Tropicgal

Janner/ Senior Member
Funniest incident I have had involving a pasty was when we were in Savannah, Georgia. There was one of those Ye Olde English Pubs you know the sort all dark wood paneling and faux hunting pictures, it was called The Sir Winston Churchill. We looked at the menu. They had pasties!! Had to try them. Waitress comes to the table for our order - 'Two pasties please' she looks very puzzled I repeated my request, she still looked puzzled so I pointed them out in the menu - 'Oh' she said 'You mean paste-ies' ' No I said paste-ies are what strippers wear'!!
 
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