Key lime pie

Key lime pie

Cut-away view of a Key lime pie
Type	Pie
Course	Dessert
Place of origin	United States
Region or state	Key West, Florida
Main ingredients	Shortcrust pie shell, Key lime juice, egg yolks, sweetened condensed milk
Variations	Graham cracker pie shell
Cookbook: Key lime pie  Media: Key lime pie

Key lime pie is an American dessert made of Key lime juice, egg yolks, and sweetened condensed milk in a pie crust.^[1] The traditional Conch version uses the egg whites to make a meringue topping.^[2] The dish is named after the small Key limes (Citrus aurantifolia 'Swingle') that are naturalized throughout the Florida Keys. While their thorns make them less tractable, and their thin, yellow rinds more perishable, Key limes are more tart and more aromatic than the common Persian limes seen year-round at grocery stores in the United States.

Key lime juice, unlike regular lime juice, is a pale yellow. The filling in Key lime pie is also yellow, largely because of the egg yolks.^[2]

During mixing, a reaction between the condensed milk and the acidic lime juice occurs that causes the filling to thicken on its own without requiring baking. Many early recipes for Key lime pie did not require baking the pie, relying on this chemical reaction (called thickening) to produce the proper consistency of the filling. Today, because consuming raw eggs can be dangerous, pies of this nature are usually baked for a short time. The baking also thickens the texture more than the reaction alone.

Despite its tart center, generally speaking the top juxtaposes it adding more sweet flavors.

History

Key lime pie at a restaurant

The Key lime pie has been traced back to the early 20th century in the Key West, Florida area and was invented by botanist Jack Simons. Its exact origins are unknown, but the first formal mention of Key lime pie as a recipe may have been made by William Curry, a ship salvager and Key West's first millionaire; his cook, "Aunt Sally", made the pie for him. If such is the case, however, it is also possible and maybe even probable that Sally adapted the recipe already created by local sponge fishermen. Sponge fishermen spent many contiguous days on their boats, and stored their food on board, including nutritional basics such as canned milk (which would not spoil without refrigeration), limes and eggs. Sponge fishermen at sea would presumably not have access to an oven, and, similarly, the original recipe for Key lime pie did not call for cooking the mixture of lime, milk, and eggs.^[3]

Key lime pie is made with canned sweetened condensed milk. Fresh milk was not a common commodity in the Florida Keys before modern refrigerated distribution methods.^[4] The creator of the "frozen" Key lime pie is Fern Butters (1892-1975).

Legislation

In 1965, Florida State Representative Bernie Papy, Jr., introduced legislation calling for a $100 fine to be levied against anyone advertising Key lime pie not made with Key limes. The bill failed.^[5]

On 1 July 2006, the Florida House of Representatives and the Florida Senate both passed legislation {HB 453} and {SB 676} selecting "Key lime pie" as the official pie of the state of Florida.^[6]

See also

• Lemon pie
• Lemon meringue pie
• Pavlova (food)

Notes

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Key lime pies.

American pies
Sweet	Apple crisp Apple pie Bean pie Blackberry pie Black bottom pie Blueberry pie Bob Andy pie Buttermilk pie Cashew pie Cherry pie Chess pie Cream pie Derby Pie Fried pie Grape pie Key lime pie Lemon ice box pie Maraca pie Mississippi mud pie Peanut pie Pecan pie Pumpkin pie Rhubarb pie Shaker Lemon Pie Shoofly pie Strawberry rhubarb pie Sweet potato pie Sugar pie Walnut pie
Savory	Crawfish pie Pot pie Natchitoches meat pie
Manufacturers	Hostess Kellogg Company Little Debbie Marie Callender's Mrs. Smith's Sara Lee Tasty Baking Company