Thoughts for Food

Although the Egyptians first imagined it and the British brought it across the Atlantic, pie -- the sweet staple of pioneers -- is the quintessential American dessert. There isn't a state in the union that doesn't boast a signature pie, from Georgia peach to Florida Key lime to Pennsylvania shoofly. Pie transcends all lines of race, color, and class. A rhubarb pie feels as much at home in a blue-collar diner in Flint, Michigan, as it does in a lacy autumn inn in Vermont.

And while no two Americans bake their pie exactly the same way, most would agree that nothing screams USA better than a wedge of apple or sweet-potato pie served warm on a plate.

American Pie: Slices of Life (and Pie) from America's Back Roads
by Pascale Le Draoulec