Eel pie

Common card · No. 411915

Eel pies have been eaten since at least the 13th or 14th centuries. In medieval Britain, eel pies were often eaten around fasting periods of the liturgical calendar and were sometimes used to pay rent. The crust was not necessarily eaten; in some pies it served as a vessel, with the eel filling scooped out and served on bread. Consumption was not restricted to Britain, with records of eel pies being sold and eaten on the streets of 15th-century France and served at a wedding banquet in 14th-century Milan. Eel pies continued to be eaten in Britain after the medieval period. As they did, tastes changed, and by the 18th century the eel pie had transitioned from a heavily spiced dish to lighter preparations. Sold by hawkers in London by the 16th century, the pies were associated with the city's Cockney population, an association referenced by Shakespeare in King Lear. Shops dedicated to eel pies emerged in the 18th century, with the best pies reputed to come from Eel Pie House on Eel Pie Island...

Read on Wikipedia