eating like a yooper: pasties (part 1 of 3)

this is a three-part series on u.s. food i found on the upper peninsula of michigan, also called u-p, which is pronounced yoo-pee. the people there are called accordingly yoopers. to anticipate any objection on the title, yes, i know that fudge & s`mores are not only a culinary delight of the u-p. but for me they are linked to every trip "up north", as the upper peninsula of michigan is often called by the people "down state" , the other mitten-shaped part of michigan. so try my personal u-p menu, today: pasties.

mmmhhh! doesn´t this look delicious? it´s a...


and it´s prevalent on the u-p. starting westbound from the mackinaw bridge along the southern coast of lake michigan, i saw at least three signs announcing pasties within the first half hour. (my camera was just too slow to click at the right moment).

pasties, so goes the u-p story, are the food of miners. the u-p has a strong tradition of especially iron ore mining and for lunch said miners would heat a pasty over their lamps. pasties were convenient, containing meat, vegetables, and carbohydrates in the wheat dough, easily to transport, and to warm up once prepared.

of course, i had to try this almost mythical food. but it was harder to find the further we got away from mackinaw bridge. there are signs...

... like on this tiny supermarket-restaurant-post-office building in seney but during our visit last summer the restaurant was not running... (but as i've heard it was open again as of summer 2009)

...or the closed bakery in munising...

...or the shut-down pasties shop in grand marais.

other times and places where pasties did exist not only as name plates on stores...

...they are sold as commercialized items in supermarket chest freezer, which should be like the attempt to eat a true italian pizza from a cheap u.s. chain.


were hard to find. the only store in the area that was open, not a supermarket, and had pasties not only outside but also inside was...

...at the edge of munising.


pasties here come in old-fashioned meat and modern veggie varieties, even as sweet ones.

little dough balls are lined up to satisfy tourist stomachs.



we didn´t have to wait long for our meat pasty (left) and veggie pasty (right) with matching gravies. little baggies of ketchup, napkins, plastic cutlery, paper plates and wrapping came along -- not much different than in a fast-food restaurant.


notice the neatly folded edge to bond the dough pocket together? it´s easier than you think.


do you recognize the ingredients: potato, carrot, onion, and rutabaga in my veggie pasty? by the way, rutabaga means Steckrübe or Kohlrübe in german, a vegetable i never ate before back home.

but they reminded me of runzas, a food commercially sold by a fast-food chain in nebraska and neighboring of the same name. runza sells dough pockets filled with beef, onions, and cabbage.

i remember this especially because when i lived in nebraska i was stubbornly and repeatedly told that runzas were german; how could i not know and acknowledge this? a very dear friend insisted on her story that once she had a school assignment to bring something german. her mother gave her a runza as this was german food. therefore, the german connection was established. nowhere in germany i had ever seen a runza.

just googling runza i´ve found reference to them as ethnic cuisine by the volga germans -- Wolgadeutsche -- who maintained german culture in parts of russia until they emigrated to the midwestern united states and other countries. besides links to the fast-food place and recipes it´s hard to find a reliable source.

as the home-made runza has been commercialized especially in nebraska, pasties paraphernalia can be found in michigan.

want to advertise the store with a shirt...

...a cap...

...or spread the pasty culture by pinning a plastic dough pocked on your chest?

historically pasties are supposed to come from england, where they date back to the 13th century; now they are mostly associated with cornwell, according to the official cornwell guide. allegedly, jane seymore, the third wife of king henry viii, liked a pasty now and then, says the guide, as pasties were food for nobility. not until the end of the 18th century it became the convenient food of cornish miners in the industrial revolution.

Back in those days each member of the family had their own pasty baked for them and marked with their initial. The correct way to eat the pasty is to start at the opposite end to the initial, so that should any of it be uneaten, it could be consumed later by its rightful owner - and woe betide anyone who takes another person's "corner"!

emigrating to the united states, cornish miners took the recipe and tradition with them. remember the photo with the golden yellow brown baked pasties from the beginning. in lieu of a home-made pasty from scratch, this seemed to be the best option for pasties in the middle of the u-p. alas, too impatient to wait for another hour for a fresh original, i passed my chance.

but next time on the u-p, i try one of these, served in a little diner in grand marais made-to-order.

still hungry?

eating like a yooper: fudge (part 2 of 3)
eating like a yooper: s´mores (part 3 of 3)
eating like a yooper: addendum on marshmallows