The call of the circus melee, where sledgehammer handles and quick fists provided the safe guard against would be circus ruffians and rogues, often gathering the ire of the locals, official and otherwise. And what doesn't calm the nerves after a brawl like a good slice of vinegar pie, wait…VINEGAR PIE!?!
Vinegar pie, the thought does not sound very appetizing nor the notion of its history very clear. I stumbled across this pie while reading Bert Chipman’s Hey Rube, an anthology of circus stories, mostly about circus fights and crazy business, published in 1933. The book discusses the close place that pies of all sorts hold in the hearts of circus persons, apparently being preferred ala mode, noting that “down south we had sweet potatoe pie, New England had its huckleberry pie, while in Canada we ran across vinegar pie.” (p. 30). I was instantly intrigued and had to know what vinegar pie was and how I could acquire some.
To my understanding, based admittedly on limited internet research, vinegar pie is a pie of tight times, a pie of the depression and any sort of recession that calls for the money belt to be tightened. It is also, to my knowledge and assumption, a pie of long winters and harsh environments, when fresh fruits, like apples, and exotic citruses, like lemons, were either not available or were overly expensive. The pie is a custard style pie. In essence the vinegar in vinegar pie, being cider vinegar, is the fruit substitute providing a tart almost mulled apple cider flavour. Lemon zest can also be used to substitute for lemons to make a lemon style pie, using cider vinegar in combination with lemon zest instead of the entire lemon.
I sought out and read a number of recipes, ultimately settling on Jessica Webster’s (<---click this for the original recipe) delicious recipe from The Ann Arbor News. This pie was simple, subtle, and easy to make (I am by no means an expert baker...or an amateur baker…or a baker...), with cinnamon being the only additional spice. There were other, fancier, recipes as well that called for fresh ginger and nutmeg etc… These recipes sound great as well, and I may try them in the future, but they were far more involved and to my mind somewhat undermined the original notion of this pie being a scrappy hard times pie, where limited supplies and money were what had to be made due with.
The pie worked out very well and was surprisingly tasty, so tasty I ate two pieces right out of the gate! I even managed to convince my family and friends to try the pie. They were all pleasantly surprised with how tasty the pie was (which is probably more of an endorsement than my own odd tastes). I would highly recommend making this pie and would love to see it make a triumphant return to diners and delicatessens all over. Kudos on the recipe innovation Jessica Webster, it truly is better than it sounds, and is easy for anyone to make.
Until next time, Duco-Duco-Duco,
Huck
