Pie and quiches are both popular dishes that are eaten widely in the western world, however, if you are among the uninitiated you may be wondering what the difference is and what makes a pie and what makes a quiche.
The primary difference between a pie and a quiche is that a pie has a pastry crust which generally includes a top to incase the filling whereas a quiche has normally a shortcrust pastry that is filled with an egg-based filling but typically has a range of different things added such as bacon, mushrooms or leafy greens.
Quiches are also always savory dishes whereas pies can be either sweet or savory depending upon the nature of the pie. Pie fillings can typically vary from meat and gravy based through to fruit with one of the most common sweet fillings being apple.
If there are sweet fillings involved typically there is additional sugar that is added to the pie either sprinkled on the surface or into the filling itself to make it sweeter.
When Was The Pie Invented?
The pie was first developed in ancient Egypt and Greece and was originally a savory dish served with meat however later the Romans were the first to create a pie that included the top and bottom crust which is what we are familiar with today.
The earliest known recipes for pies appeared in the 2nd century and include a sweet filling of goat cheese and honey. However, at this point in time, the consumption of pies was relatively rare. The popularity of pies gradually increased through the centuries and became increasingly popular in 16th century England with it being known that Elizabeth 1 favorite dish was a cherry pie.
By the 17th century, sweet pies have become commonplace with the being an increasing number of books containing recipes for pies. One of the more unusual dishes was live birds in a pie which was something of a novelty and was prepared for Royalty and the elite upper class as a way of impressing guests.
These practices were transferred to colonial America which increasingly had greater access to sweeteners such as cane sugar, molasses, and honey which are ideal for making pumpkin, apple, pear, and quince pies. So much so that the area around New England became known as the pie belt as pies became a staple of the diet even being served at breakfast at times.
The Northern States were also well known for pumpkin pies though through the 19th century the increased cultivation of rhubarb meant that rhubarb pies also became a popular dish.
History Of Quiche
Quiche is a dish that is traditionally associated with French cuisine however historical records indicate that it actually originated in Germany in the Middle Ages with the word quiche being derived from the German word for cake.
Quiche lorraine which is the best-known variety of quiche was originally made from an egg and cream custard filling with smoked bacon. It was only later that cheese was added to the dish. Additionally, the bottom of the crust was originally made from bread dough but gradually evolved to the use of shortcrust or puff pastry over the centuries.
However, quiche had somewhat of a revival in England after the Second World War in the 1950s primarily because it was based on vegetarian ingredients which were more readily available than meat products due to the ongoing rationing after the Second World War.
How Do Frittatas And Quiche Differ?
Another type of dish which is also closely associated with quiche is frittatas so you may also be wondering what the differences are between a frittata and a quiche. There are three main differences between frittatas and quiche the first is that the quiche has a pastry crust whereas frittatas do not.
Secondly, is that the quiches are predominantly an egg-based filling with a few other ingredients added whereas frittatas are generally filled up with a large number of vegetables and then an egg solution is added to the dish to allow those vegetables to stick together to create the frittata.
The third difference between frittatas and quiche is the frittatas tend to be much thicker than quiche and therefore need to be cooked in a deeper pan to accommodate this variation.
However, there are recipes for quiche that are gluten-free and therefore have the crust removed as one method to remove gluten from the dish.
What Is The Difference Between A Quiche And A Tart?
Quiches and tarts are quite similar dishes with both having a pastry base without a top with filling in it. The quiches only have a savory egg-based filling whereas tarts more commonly have sweet ingredients in them such as fruit and even chocolate and custard. As a result of this tarts tend to be used as desserts in many cases.
Usually, many of the pastry cases that are used for tarts have additional sugar added to them to sweetener dishes whereas quiches do not.
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