Robert Macklin - The Great Australian Pie: a history and culinary adventure

The GreatAustralian Pie

CopyrightRobert Macklin 2012

Published byBWM Books at Smashwords

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Table of Contents

First Course - A Slice of Australia

Nowhereelse in the world is there anything quite like it; and nothing ismore beloved by Australians. Its appeal leaps across thegenerations, the sexes and all the social, political and religiouspersuasions. It is the one thing we all have in common: it is thegreat Australian meat pie.

We all carry in our minds a picture of theperfect pie: its glowing golden crust, its mouth-watering aroma ofbaking pastry and rich beef filling drifts across the innerlandscape of Australian psyche. It is irresistible.

The object of our desire is round, oval,square or even oblong. The pastry lid is probably a little flakybut not so much that the flakes will break away and stick aroundthe mouth. The base is firm and beautifully smooth to the touch,lighter in colour than the top, the pastry shorter and moresolid.

The sides rise from a corner curve and thepie sits neatly in the hand snuggled alongside thumb andforefinger, the base resting on the long middle finger to hold itsteady.

Slowly the true pie lover raises it to themouth, breathing in that glorious aroma to the trembling tastebuds, selecting just the spot to take that first gorgeous bite thatwill open up the little treasure house of flavour andoh, thewonder of it, that first taste of luscious minced beef and gravylapping round the tongue and mixed with the buttery pastry thatalmost melts in the mouth. Oh heaven

Its hot. When you take that first nibble alittle tendril of steam will waft from within. But its not so hotthat you cant take a good solid bite. The perfect pie is not madefor wolfing but for carefully selecting and delighting in everymouthful, every little morsel. The beef and gravy filling is packedin so theres very little space between filling and lid. The gravyis important spicy and just the right consistency to moisten thefilling but not so runny that it spills out and burns yourfingers.

You turn it in the hand as you eat so thatyoure never left with just the pie crust for the last fewmouthfuls. Ah no, every bite is another magical moment and theperfect pie will offer up its charms to the final chew and swallow.And when you lick those last few drops, crumbs and morsels fromyour fingers, the after-taste will remain for ages and the memorylinger forever.

My love affair with pies began, Iguess, on our family drives from Brisbane to SurfersParadise in the 1950s, for we had to pass by Yatala just a fewhouses and a bakery with the big sign, Famous for its pies. Therehas never been anything quite like a Yatala pie - smaller than mostwith curiously yellow pastry and rich brown minced steak without ahint of gristle, they represented the supreme parental threat: Ifyou kids dont shut up in the backand the grand reward.

Then therewere the Saturday mornings as I grew a little older and aroundlunchtime Mum would say, Robbie, hop on your bike and go down tothe Regatta. Tell your father if he doesnt come home this minutetherell be ructions.

The Regattawas and remains - a famous pub on Coronation Drive overlookingthe Brisbane River and after he mowed the lawn on Saturday morningsmy father would reward himself with a few beers with his fellowmowers in the front bar. Ordinarily, it wouldnt be much funextricating your father from a session with his mates but when Iturned up hed say, Ill just have one for the road. Heres twoshillings; get yourself a pie.

Oh what a pie.The pieman parked his little truck with the oven at the back justoutside the pub and hed do a roaring trade with the Regattaspatrons. The smell alone would get their juices flowing. Hed drawout the metal tray and theyd be lined up: big bold pies, hot ascould be and hed grab one (no fancy tongs in those days) pop it ona piece of paper and say, Peas?

Youbet.

Then hedplunge a big spoon into a saucepan of mushie peas, draw it out,lift the lid of the pie and plop the mixture in.

Blacksauce?

Yeah.

Thereyou go.

Youd take itin your hand and it would burn you through the paper. But thatdidnt matter, youd swap hands and nibble at the crust till it gotcool enough to bite. Then gradually youd make your way into thevery heart if it, mouthful by glorious mouthful. Heck, Dad couldhave three for the road and you couldnt care less.

From thatsplendid foundation I have sought the succulent comestible in allthe highways and pieways of our land, a little like a wineconnoisseur in search of our finest reds, but with the obviousdifference that pies cannot be put down to mature in the cellar. Ahno, pies must be eaten on the spot and the only liquidaccompaniment permitted is a carton of icy cold milk or a sparklingglass of the amber fluid.

When I firstbegan writing about pies in my newspaper column I quickly becamethe beneficiary of travellers tales from across the land.Correspondents wrote and e-mailed from all the Eastern States. Theystarted sending entries to an informal competition for the bestpie in Australia. A package of half a dozen arrived unannouncedfrom South Australia. The regular patrons of the Nimmitabel bakeryin the Snowy Mountains carried them home and posted them to me incrushproof cartons. Favourites ranged from the littleout-of-the-way bakeries to the big commercial bakers like Four nTwenty and Big Ben.

They provedthat theres really no substitute for the personal discovery as youdrive through the wonders of this great land. You really have to beon the spot to sample the product of the pie-makers art as soon aspossible after its left the oven and been allowed to rest whilethe flavour oozes quietly into the pastry package. Whether youretravelling through the countryside, barracking at the footy, orsitting on a park bench at lunchtime watching the world go by, itsso much better with a great Australian pie.

Second Course - A Slice ofHistory

There must besomething in the Australian character that led to the invention andthe universal enjoyment of the good meat pie. No other country inthe world except New Zealand - shares our love for them. Yet wefeel compelled to consume no fewer than 240 million pies everyyear! Indeed, some expatriate Australians have been known to losetheir bearings, to become faint and confused, when separated fromtheir national dish for too long. So, where did it come from, thisspecial little flavoursome package?

The Greeksclaim to have created the prototype about the same time theyinvented democracy in ancient Athens. Then, they say, it graduallyspread throughout Europe taking different forms according to theavailability of local ingredients.

Both theBritish and the French experimented with pies in the Middle Ages.The French chef Guillaume Tirel published his own cookery book inthe 14th century which included a recipe for Eel Pie.And in the same era the English produced the Fish Pie especiallyfor Good Friday. Oddly, they believed it would so reduce the carnalpassions of its consumers that they would keep themselves pure allthrough the Easter holiday. But thats the English for you.

In the 1500sone English pie became so famous that it is still celebrated todayin a nursery rhyme. The Abbot of Glastonbury attempted to forestallHenry VIIIs demands for church property by offering him 12 smallestates. The imaginative Abbot packaged his gift in a big piecontaining the title deeds of the estates. He then summoned hissteward, one Jack Horner, and entrusted the precious package to himto take to London.