Guest Author - Linda J. Paul

What would Thanksgiving be without at least one pie added to the mixture of turkey and all the fixings? I consider pie to be a very spiritual food actually. The rites and rituals in our society revolve around the serving of food, from births, to weddings, to funerals. Homemade pie is often a part of these rituals. I know from vast experience as a pie connoisseur that pie is the first and foremost item to grace bake sale tables at local places of worship and the late summer, early autumn country fair booths as well.

The smell of a homemade apple pie can conjure up memories of holidays long past, reminders of friends and family, and the feeling of groggy content after the holiday feast has been served. And, Thanksgiving reigns as the top pie making and pie eating holiday. The Thanksgiving parade of pies includes mincemeat, pumpkin, pecan, apple, squash, blueberry, rhubarb, and just about every other filling imaginable. We can imagine the pilgrims and Indians sitting down to an overflowing table of goodies, including pies… But, wait… there were no pies that first Thanksgiving.

The reason that the pilgrims and Indians were pie less during that first feast went by the name of Oliver Cromwell. Cromwell was the self-proclaimed Lord Protector of England from 1649 until 1658. He is perhaps most famous for his beheading of Charles I and his brutal dealings with the Irish. He is less famous for his banning of pies.. That’s right.. Pies.

Cromwell took his Puritan roots quite seriously. He hated Christmas. In fact, he saw it as a pagan holiday, and one that was not sanctioned by the Bible. He felt that the celebration of Christmas promoted gluttony and drunkenness. Any holiday that promoted the celebration of food and drink and the merry making associated with it, was a hang-able offense in his overly zealous eyes.

Puritan New England really had no choice but to follow his rules, at least during his reign of terror. In fact, in 1659, Connecticut actually banned mincemeat pies. Pies became a forbidden pleasure, at least during the Christmas season. But, after Cromwell’s death, the proscription on pies as holiday fare faded away. By the time that Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving to be a national holiday in 1863, mincemeat and pumpkin pies had been restored to their rightful place at the holiday table.

So, this holiday season, enjoy the feasting, and remember that eating pie was once considered to be a sinful act. There is something deliciously exciting about eating a once forbidden delight. Enjoy!!