(we won’t even go into cake)
The general consensus is that a thinner crust and less filling with an open top equal a tart, but if you put in more filling and put another layer of pastry on top, this makes a ‘closed’ pie. Both can be either sweet or savoury.
So, if you’re with me here, this is:
a tart
a pie
But here is where I get perplexed sometimes – aren’t there just some kinds of tarts or pies that ‘go’ with the terms pie or tart? So, lemon merengue pie or ricotta pie (and god, cheesecake!) will rarely be called a tart, no matter what. Or a pecan pie, which for alliterative purposes is not called a tart. Or, say, a Bakewell tart (which has pastry on top!) is not called a Bakewell pie for some reason. Are there pastries that transcend categories and then is there really a point in this differentiation?
For the record, I like tarts, cakes and pies no matter their name but I’m also a person who thinks too much.
Some people say that the amount of filling is another differentiator. A pie is baked in a deeper dish and thus holds more filling (not always true, in my experience, though I vastly prefer pies with a lot of filling and a thin crust). In a tart, the crust plays a more prominent role in terms of texture and is usually more crumbly. Tarts are also seen as more refined and ‘European’ while pies are cozier, homier and ‘American.’
Thoughts? More existential questions?
– K
Don’t get me started on ‘pub pies’, which are basically some stew in a bowl, with an ill-fitting puff-pastry lid. A pie is stuff completely encased in pastry. Y punto.
David, you are confusing me with the Another David moniker :). Yes, I don’t know how anything in a bowl with mash or pastry on top qualifies as a pie. And – in case it wasn’t clear from this post – the whole term mix-up is somewhat frustrating.
you ARE thinking to much. as william shakespeare said “what”s in a name, that what we call a rose, by any other name will smell as sweet. even if pies and tarts were called “spinach” –i”ll still love them!!! especially baked by you!
haha I do wish spinach meant pie.
my mouth is watering i love pies and tarts. espcially with apple filling.
Yeah, sorry. Blame wordpress cookies and a certain mutual acquaintance of ours whose blog I also post pointless comments on every now and again, where calling myself David would be rather impolitic.