History Of The Pie

I found this in the New Zealand Herald on Tuesday 5th May -

According to a Brisbane food historian, the pie was invented as a way to preserve meat in medieval Europe. The pastry was not meant to be eaten, but was like the container, says Dr Janet Clarkson. "Called a coffin', it was made with very hard rye flour up to 18 centimetres thick and wrappped around the meat and baked. This could preserve meat for up to a year," she says.