A Brief History of Pie

It occurred to us that while most people know the story of how the sandwich came about (see footnote if you don’t), the history of pie is far less widely known. That feels like a shame, given just how long pies have been feeding people, travelling the world, and adapting to changing tastes.

So, we thought we’d put that right, with a short(crust) history of pie, stretching all the way back to around 2000 BC. Along the way, we’ll try to answer some of the big questions: where was pie invented? who invented the pie? and when was pie invented in the first place?

The Earliest Pies: Ancient Beginnings

Pie dishes have been around far longer than many people realise. Some of the earliest examples come from ancient Egypt, where people created simple filled pastries using a crusty outer layer made from oats, wheat, rye or barley. These early pies were often filled with honey or fruit and baked as a way of combining flavour with practicality.

Incredibly, a recipe for a chicken pie has even been discovered on a tablet carved before 2000 BC, making it one of the oldest recorded pie recipes we know of. If you’re wondering when was pie invented, this is about as close as we can reasonably get to an answer.

Rome: Where Pies Took Shape

While the Egyptians experimented with early forms of pastry, the idea of fully enclosing a filling inside a pastry made with fat and flour really took shape in ancient Rome. This is where many historians believe pies truly began to resemble the versions we recognise today.

Interestingly, the pastry wasn’t originally intended to be eaten. Instead, it acted as a protective casing, designed to preserve the juices and flavours of the filling during cooking. In many cases, the crust was discarded once the contents had been eaten.

A Roman cookbook written in the first century features a rich rye dough filled with goat’s cheese and honey, a dish that feels surprisingly indulgent even by modern standards. As the Roman Empire expanded, so did its food culture. Roman soldiers, settlers and traders carried their cooking methods across Europe, including to Britain.

So next time you’re wondering who invented pie, you could make a strong case for giving the Romans at least some of the credit.

Pies in Medieval Britain

The word “pye” first appeared in an English dictionary in the 14th century, defined simply as “meat or fish enclosed in pastry.” By this point, pies were firmly embedded in British food culture.

The pastry case was known as a “coffin”, a word that referred to a box or container rather than anything morbid. These coffins were often incredibly thick and sturdy. If the filling was fowl, the legs would sometimes be left dangling over the sides, making it very clear what was inside.

This might explain why fictional pies, such as Desperate Dan’s famous cow pie, were often shown with horns still attached.

During medieval times, pies became the pièce de résistance at banquets. They weren’t just food; they were theatre. Almost anything could be baked inside a pie, including, according to legend, entire bands of musicians (hopefully inserted after baking).

At this point in the history about pie, it was as much about spectacle as sustenance.

Pie as Everyday Food, Not Just Spectacle

While medieval banquets and Roman feasts often dominate discussions about the history of pie, it’s important to remember that pies were also deeply practical everyday food. Away from the great halls and long tables, pies played a vital role in feeding ordinary people.

For working households, pies offered a reliable way to stretch limited ingredients. Small amounts of meat, vegetables or leftovers could be enclosed in pastry and turned into a filling meal. The pastry helped protect the contents, keep food fresh for longer, and made it easy to transport to fields, workshops or markets.

This everyday usefulness is one of the reasons pies became so widespread. Unlike many dishes tied to specific regions or social classes, pies crossed boundaries. They appeared in farm kitchens, bakeries, street stalls and homes across Britain, evolving to suit local ingredients and tastes.

Understanding this side of pie helps explain its endurance. Pies weren’t just celebratory food; they were dependable food. They fed families through long working days, seasonal shortages and periods of uncertainty. That practicality ensured pie remained relevant long after grand banquets faded from everyday life.

In many ways, this humble role is just as important as pie’s more theatrical moments. It shows how pies became embedded in daily routines, forming a quiet but essential part of British food culture.

Pies on the Move: Exploration and Empire

As the English began exploring and colonising the world, pies naturally went with them. Long sea voyages required food that was durable, space-efficient and slow to spoil, and pies ticked every box.

The pastry casing helped preserve the filling, while the compact shape made pies an efficient use of limited space in a ship’s hold. A hold stacked with pies was far more practical than transporting livestock or employing a full-time cook on board.

This is how pie made its way to North America with the first English settlers. So, if you’ve ever heard the phrase “as American as apple pie,” it’s worth remembering where pies originated long before they crossed the Atlantic.

From History to Home: Pie in the Modern Age

Fast forward to 1930, and pie history becomes a little closer to home. In a small Yorkshire village store, Great Grandad Sturdy began making his own pies to sell locally. At the time, it was simply a way to earn a living, not the beginning of an award-winning family tradition.

Unbeknown to him, those early Yorkshire pies would become part of a much longer story, linking ancient food traditions with modern craftsmanship.

British Pie Week: A Modern Celebration of a Timeless Food

While pies have a history stretching back thousands of years, they are far from being relics of the past. In the UK today, British Pie Week stands as a modern celebration of everything the pie represents, craftsmanship, regional identity, and the ability of simple food to bring people together.

British Pie Week isn’t just about eating pies (although that’s certainly part of it). It’s about recognising the skill involved in making them well, celebrating regional variations, and highlighting how pies continue to evolve while staying true to their roots. In many ways, it’s the contemporary expression of the same pride and care that once went into medieval banquet pies or the everyday pies baked in working households.

What makes British Pie Week particularly fitting is how it reflects the pie’s long-standing role in British food culture. Historically, pies adapted to what was available, local meats, seasonal vegetables, and changing tastes. That adaptability is still evident today, with both traditional favourites and more innovative combinations sitting comfortably side by side.

Classic British meat pies such as steak and ale or Yorkshire steak and kidney continue to be recognised for their depth of flavour and balance, while richer variations, including premium beef pies paired with ingredients like Wensleydale or black pudding, show how the format can be elevated without losing its identity. At the same time, vegetarian pies have firmly earned their place, with combinations like mushroom and ale, cheese and onion, or spiced vegetable fillings proving that a great pie doesn’t rely solely on meat.

British Pie Week also shines a light on the importance of quality ingredients and proper technique. A well-made pie is never accidental, it’s the result of thoughtful pastry, carefully prepared fillings, and respect for the traditions that shaped it. In that sense, the event doesn’t reinvent the pie; it simply acknowledges what has always made it special.

Seen in the context of pie’s long history, British Pie Week feels less like a novelty and more like the next chapter in an ongoing story, one that continues to be written, baked and enjoyed across Britain today.

Why Pie Has Endured

So, what explains pie’s remarkable longevity? The answer lies in its adaptability. Across centuries, pies have evolved with available ingredients, changing tastes and practical needs. They’ve been eaten by peasants and kings, served at banquets and packed for journeys, filled with sweet or savoury ingredients depending on circumstance.

Few foods have managed to remain relevant for so long without losing their identity.

When people ask who invented pie or where did pies originate, the truth is that pie belongs to no single person or place. It’s a shared invention, shaped over thousands of years by different cultures, needs and imaginations.

A Journey Still Ongoing

So, there you have it, a journey that spans from ancient Egypt to modern Britain, from Roman kitchens to Yorkshire village shops. The history of pie is long, winding and surprisingly rich.

Pies have evolved alongside us, reflecting how we live, travel and eat. Where will they go next? That’s still being written, one pie at a time.

Footnote: The 4th Earl of Sandwich famously asked for roast beef to be placed between two slices of bread so he could eat without leaving the card table, creating the first recorded roast beef sandwich.