Historians have recently made a claim that is rather upsetting to the British food community, disputing the origin of the famous Cornish pasty, a handheld pie usually filled with meat, for anyone unlucky enough to have missed out on them). It was long assumed to have originated in Cornwall, from where it takes its name. It turns out, according to Dr. Todd Gray, chairman of the Friends of Devon's Archives, that they actually originated in Devon.
Dr. Gray apparently discovered an historical document that references the making of pasties as early as 1510, while the first recipe of record in Cornwall didn't appear until 1746. As you might expect with any regional icon, emotions run high on the subject, especially for those in Cornwall. Most other experts, including that author of The Official Encyclopedia of the Cornish Pasty and the spokesman for the Cornish Pasty Association, seem to think that it would be nearly impossible to pinpoint the first instance of a pasty being made and, since pastry/bread vessels were fairly common "as early as the 1100s," the fact that there is a dated, "official" recipe for the modern pasty proves little about the actual origin.
Cornwall is a great place - not only have you King Arthur's Castle, the Eden Project and some picturesque harbours you now have access to some of the best food in the country. There is Rick Stein's takeover of Padstow (yep, eaten there but that was PB, pre-blog) and Jamie Oliver has opened in Newquay as the location for the third branch of his chain Fifteen, to add to the first restaurant in London and second in Amsterdam.
I can vouch for a great deli in Fowey; there is also a rather good fish restaurant too owned by the son of the deli owner that serves a superb and generous seafood salad. Oh, and there is Fowey fish too who supply by mail across the UK.
The BBC has a business report on the massive effect that these foodie credentials have had on the economy. I love Cornwall and would love to live down there oneday.
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