Meat Pie - Regional Variations

Regional Variations

The Natchitoches meat pie is one of the official state foods of the U.S. state of Louisiana. Natchitoches is a town in Louisiana, the name is pronounced Nack-a-tish. Meat pies are not common in most US cuisine, in contrast to the popular pot pies, though the distinction isn't very well defined.

Latin American meat empanadas may be pies or more often pasties; different pastry shells and fillings are used, and they may be baked or fried. Empanadas usually contain lots of onion and green or red pepper, in combination with meat or fish. Empanada dough takes many forms, from those made with cornmeal to puff pastry. Ground beef with olives, fried egg, pulled pork, diced steak, even cheese and salami are used in Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Puerto Rico and Peru for example.

Other well known varieties of meat pie include British meat pies, French-Canadian meat pie, and the Australia and NZ meat pie. An Irish meat pie is the Steak and Guinness Pie which consists of Round steak with Guinness Stout Beer, bacon, and onions. It is served with potato chips and vegetables and is very popular in Irish Pubs in Australia. In both Australia and New Zealand, the meat pie is a common convenience food often found in petrol stations and convenience stores and in New Zealand was once sold in a chain of restaurants.

The Nigerian "meat pie" is similar to the Jamaican beef patty. It can be baked or fried, and the filling can be almost anything from corned beef (the most widely used) to just onions and tomatoes.

Middle Eastern meat pies are called sfiha and contain ground beef, olive oil, plain yogurt, tahini, allspice, onion, tomatoes and pine nuts. Greek meat pies are called kreatopita and contain ground beef, onions and feta cheese. The filling for kreatopita is wrapped in phyllo dough. Indian meat pies are called samosa and usually contain peas, spiced potatoes, coriander, lentils, or ground beef or chicken and are often served with chutney.