Pies Across the World: A Delight of Sweet and Savory Flavors

Whether it's called pie, pita, torta, or tarte, the concept remains universal. Everywhere, people savor the joy of a delicious, filled pastry, baked to perfection.

March 14 celebrates Pi Day, a tribute to the first three digits of the mathematical constant π (3.1415…). But it’s also a lighthearted excuse to enjoy the diverse world of pies, from sweet to savory, found all over the globe.

While American classics like apple and cherry pie may come to mind first, they are just a small part of the vast variety of sweet and savory pies enjoyed by pastry lovers everywhere, from Florida to the Philippines.

Pies, defined broadly as baked pastries filled with delicious ingredients, have a rich history. Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs depict pastries filled with honey, nuts, and fruit, while the Greeks and Romans enjoyed free-form pies filled with both sweet and savory fillings.

The world of pies has only grown richer since then. Whether you're traveling or baking at home, don't miss the chance to try some of these international pie varieties.

Meat-filled pies

In ancient Rome, meat pies were originally designed to keep the meat tender, with the dough serving as a protective vessel rather than something to be eaten. It took centuries of culinary evolution before the idea of enjoying both the crust and filling together became popular.

The British and their colonies have truly mastered the art of the meat pie. Steak and ale pie, a pub favorite, traces its origins back to medieval pies that used local meats, game, and vegetables encased in a pastry crust.

Tourtière, a traditional French-Canadian meat pie, is usually filled with ground pork and served during the Christmas season. Coastal regions often feature a variation made with salmon.

In Australia and New Zealand, meat pies are a cross between traditional pies and portable handheld snacks. These round, double-crust pies are typically single-serving, with beef and gravy as the most common filling, often accompanied by ketchup or tomato sauce.

Handheld meat pies have inventive variations around the world. Cornish pasties, originally popularized as a portable meal for miners, have become so cherished that they are now protected by geographic origin laws.

Jamaican beef patties and Nigerian meat pies share similarities, but the Jamaican version stands out with its golden crust, infused with turmeric, and its spicier filling.

Empanadas, believed to have originated in Galicia, Spain, are now enjoyed across Latin America and the Philippines, among many other regions.

Other savory pie varieties

As one of the original homes of pie, Greek cuisine offers a delightful array of sweet and savory pies. Spanakopita, a spinach and feta pie wrapped in flaky phyllo dough, is perhaps the most famous, but there’s also hortopita with wild greens, tiropita, a cheese-filled pastry, and maridopita, a savory fish pie.

Layers of delicate phyllo dough create the crust for Albanian burek (or byrek), savory pies that can be filled with anything from seasoned ground meat to spinach and cheese. A variation with tomatoes and onions is often referred to as Albanian pizza, with the rich flavors of caramelized onions and stewed tomatoes stacked in layers.

Sweet and savory pies

While meat pies dominated much of the early history of pies, the use of spices in these pastries helped blur the line between savory and sweet.

Pastilla, also known as bisteeya or b’stilla in Morocco, is a spiced pie that combines poultry, almonds, and eggs. While pigeon was traditionally used as the filling, modern versions often substitute chicken.

If you're familiar with the fluffy texture of corn spoon bread or corn pudding, American sweet corn custard pie takes it a step further into dessert territory. By adding fresh corn kernels to a sweet custard or chess pie filling, this pie becomes a seasonal favorite, especially for bakers making the most of late summer harvests.

Fruit pies

Forget the old rhyme about four and twenty blackbirds – if it grows on a tree, it can probably be baked into a pie. Fruit pies are one of the best ways to savor seasonal fruits.

Many of the fruit pies commonly enjoyed in North America today have roots in colonial baking traditions, where settlers brought European seeds or incorporated local North American ingredients into their pies.

By the 1820s, rhubarb became a beloved pie filling in New England, eventually spreading across the country. Concord grape pie, made with the dark, juicy grapes native to North America (the same ones used in every kid's favorite jelly), is another regional favorite.

Persimmon pies, a classic in family recipe collections throughout the eastern United States, highlight a native fruit that can be grown as far west as Iowa and as far north as Connecticut. With a texture similar to pumpkin pie, it’s no surprise that persimmon pie is a fall favorite.

Apple pie is often hailed as the quintessential American dessert – as Jack Kerouac famously wrote in *On the Road*: “I ate another apple pie and ice cream; that’s practically all I ate all the way across the country.”

Although apple pie is considered an American classic, its origins trace back to Europe, where many of the apple varieties we now cherish were introduced to North America.

Vlaai are traditional Dutch fruit pies made with a yeasted brioche dough instead of the usual butter pastry crust. While they can be filled with fruits like apricots, plums, and cherries, a Dutch appelvlaai beautifully blends Old World and New World dessert traditions.

Other sweet pies

If fruit-based fillings aren't your thing, indulge in pies with luscious, creamy fillings to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Coconut cream pie lovers should try Filipino buko pie, a specialty from the Laguna province. This double-crust pie is packed with strips of buko (young coconut) in a rich, creamy coconut custard.

British Banoffee pie is a relatively recent addition to the pie world. Created in the 1970s by the chef-owner of The Hungry Monk restaurant in East Sussex, England, it’s now a beloved no-bake dessert. The name combines its two main ingredients: bananas and toffee sauce. While the original recipe (spelled banoffi) uses a pastry crust, many variations now opt for a biscuit or graham cracker crust.

Key lime pie, with its tangy flavor, is a must-try when visiting Key West, Florida, where it’s often served frozen inside a crunchy chocolate shell.

Further up the East Coast, Atlantic Beach pie from North Carolina offers a savory twist on the classic citrus pie. With a crust made from crushed Saltine crackers and a zesty lemon-lime filling, it’s the perfect balance of sweet and salty.