Michigan Treats - Pasties

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Get your mind out of the gutter.

Yesterday we talked about two of the traditional foods of Wisconsin (cheese and beer). Today we talk about one of the traditional foods of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan - pasties.

Pasties (rhymes with nasty not hasty) are an enigma for a lot of people. Amy was in the lobby of our hotel one day on the trip and another guest came in and asked about why so many people mis-spelled pastRies. But make no mistake, pasties are NOT pastries and they are a wonderful food.

Imagine a hand held pot pie stuffed with beef, potato, carrot, and rutabaga for a bit more flavor. The traditional ones pictured below were 3/4 of a pound each and purchased from Dobber’s pasties in Escanaba, Michigan. Pasties have a historical tradition in Michigan. The Welsh miners brought the recipe with them when they came to the UP to mine copper and ore. Pasties were a traditional meal while working in the mines. The wives could prepare the pasties in advance and the miners would carry in the pasties wrapped up in their lunch pail. At meal time they could be placed on the end of the miner's shovel and reheated over the candles in their lamps. One story I read about them even indicated that they were made with an extra wide crimp on the edge so that the miners had a way to hold on to them with their dirty hands and not end up with that dirt all over the food. The little bit of extra dirty crimp could be thrown away like the crust of bread/pie.

Of course not everyone likes the traditional style so today's pasty makers off them in a variety of flavors and sizes. There are also chicken flavored, ham and cheese, stroganoff, nacho grande, and even pizza (although the difference between a pizza flavored pasty and a calzone has yet to really be discovered).

Pasties were the original “fast food” They made a perfect picnic lunch on the shore of Lake Michigan!

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