Pies and Tarts: Regional Variations

The common pie continued to sustain people from many nations as they poured into the new country and spread westward over virgin territory. Dried apples played an essential role in both wagon trains and cattle drive mess; and when the apple barrel was empty, canny cooks came up with mock apple pie, the best known being one made from crushed crackers. (Even in our more established times, the makers of Ritz crackers continue to tout this creation by printing the classic recipe for mock apple pie on its box.) Vinegar-soaked potatoes also made an acceptable apple substitute. Other equally ingenious mock fillings invented on the westward trails included sour green tomatoes (substituted for mincemeat) and soft-shell river turtles (substituted for everything from oyster to chicken pie).