The world famous Cornish pasty is known as an 'Oggy' locally (from the Cornish 'Hoggan'). It is pastry traditionally filled with beef and potato and usually with onion and swede mixed in. However, the Cornish have been known to fill the pasty with whatever ingredients were available (especially in times of hardship) and it was once said that the devil would never cross the Tamar into Cornwall for fear of being put into a pasty!
The pasty was first introduced to give tin miners a filling meal that they could handle easily with dirty hands. The crust was used to hold the pasty whilst the rest was eaten. The crust was then discarded, often to the 'Knockers' who were mischievous little people in mines, believed to cause no end of trouble for the miners if they were not given a small amount of food! Tradition has it that one end of the pasty contained the meat and potatoes, with fruit or jam in the other end (like having a main course and then a dessert).
The true origins of the pasty are not known, but it has been traced back at least until the Middle Ages.
Another popular Cornish food is clotted cream. This is usually served as part of a cream tea with scones and jam. Although cream teas are served all over the country (particularly famously in our neighbouring Devon), the Cornish version differs slightly from the rest of the land. Us Cornish put the jam on the scone first, topped by the cream, whereas everywhere else it is done the other way around! The difference is something that I only learned recently - it seems wrong putting the cream on first, which I guess makes me truly Cornish!!
Saffron cake is another Cornish recipe. Made with the extremely expensive spice, Saffron, it has a distinct yellow colour. Saffron comes from the Crocus sativum flower and over 4,000 of these flowers are required to produce 1oz of saffron! This explains why saffron is more expensive per ounce than gold!
It is thought that saffron reached Cornish shores via Phoenicians who traded it for Cornish tin.
The Saffron is combined in a cake (or buns) with dried fruit. The cake has the yellow colouring from the saffron and has quite a unique taste that has been described as slightly bitter.
Cornish Fairings are traditional biscuits baked in Redruth. They are similar to gingernuts, but some of the ginger is replaced with cinnamon and mixed spices.
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