How come apple pie is considered an "American" thing?

[SsnakeBite, the No1 Frenchman]

In US TV shows and stuff like that, I often see apple pie being depicted as a staple of American culture, and of course there's the saying "as American as apple pie" and I always find it weird because apple pies is really not something I associate with America as it's popular in many other countries, especially here in Europe. If anything, I tend to associate apple-based dishes with Germany.

The weirdest thing is that apple pie being American really only seems to be a thing in... well, America, because I have never heard anyone in Europe link Apple pies to the USA. When we think of typically American food, we think of burgers, steaks, bacon, French fries (how very ironic) and pancakes. Maple syrup is also associated with the USA almost as closely as it is with Canada over here. People who are more familiar with US culture might also add pumpkin spice to the list (in fact, I would argue that Pumpkin spice is probably THE food item that American people are way crazier about than any other country).

So I was kind of curious if anyone knew how American people came to consider apple pie one of their most patriotic dishes. Is there a story behind it? Like, is there a legend that someone left an apple pie near a window and it somehow lead to the downfall of the British empire or something?

[Deleted]

I wonder if the Americana stature of this is at all tied to the American folklore/legend of Johnny Appleseed (an actual guy, btw).....

[Mr PONYMANIA Mr Jenzie]

[Toilet Paper Roll]

In America we all have apple pie for breakfast, an entire one then salute the flag we just usually keep bit secret from evil foreigners.


I've said too much.

[Fundertaker]

Heck, even wikipedia knows it's more Swedish than it is American!

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_pie

[Joker]

Well as I'm English so I like my Apple Pie hot which is apparently not something that happens in America.

French Apple Pies I see are Tarte Tatin which are very nice but a different way of making them.

If I think of apple based deserts I usually think pie for america and england, tarte tatin for France and apple crumble or strudel for dutch/german parts of europe.

[A Platypus Rave is Correct]

I believe it comes from the fact that American Apple pie is a combination of British, Dutch and Swedish versions of it. A melting pot thing.

Not to mention most apples in Europe were made by cloning! (well grafting but yelling clones is fun.)

In America, the apples mostly came from flat out new seeds, which created new varieties of apples.

[fw91]

Because who better represents America than Jim's dad?

[arrogantmodel]

Mar 3, 2017 7:49:55 GMT -5 @knapp said:

I wonder if the Americana stature of this is at all tied to the American folklore/legend of Johnny Appleseed (an actual guy, btw).....

The character of Johnny Appleseed was based on Brasky...except for the apple tree planting and not raping men.

[Push R Truth]

Millions of us watched a guy f$@% an apple pie in theaters


We love our pie.

[SsnakeBite, the No1 Frenchman]

Mar 3, 2017 9:56:01 GMT -5 Joker said:

Well as I'm English so I like my Apple Pie hot which is apparently not something that happens in America.

French Apple Pies I see are Tarte Tatin which are very nice but a different way of making them.

If I think of apple based deserts I usually think pie for america and england, tarte tatin for France and apple crumble or strudel for dutch/german parts of europe.

Great, now I'm hungry for tarte tatin but it's mostly a Parisian thing so I don't know where to get any.

[Bo Rida]

I think a lot of people never understood the lyrics for the song American Pie.

[prettynami]

I think they talked about it on that Food Network show "Food Fact or Fiction". This might be me totally misremembering it but here goes my recollection: Apple Pie first became super popular here because it was a tradition to give pies out to people who voted for certain people - a sorta exit pie. Then we started considering it an "American thing" when apple pie was a standard part of some kind of meal kit in the first World War. I'm sure at that point the European troops were jealous of our sweet sweet pie, probably being on some pretty terrible rations after all those years of war. But then again, this could all be a figment of my imagination from some bizarre remembering of the episode.

[A Platypus Rave is Correct]

Mar 3, 2017 17:31:01 GMT -5 prettynami said:

it an "American thing" when apple pie was a standard part of some kind of meal kit in the first World War. I'm sure at that point the European troops were jealous of our sweet sweet pie, probably being on some pretty terrible rations after all those years of war.

"Doughboys" has been a nickname for the American infantry way back to the Mexican-American war.

Though it was adopted by the UK soldiers in WW1 for the Americans as well.

there have been tons of theories why they were called this... no one can seem to agree on an actual answer.

[Cranjis McBasketball]

Mar 3, 2017 17:46:39 GMT -5 A Platypus Rave is Correct said:

Mar 3, 2017 17:31:01 GMT -5 prettynami said:

it an "American thing" when apple pie was a standard part of some kind of meal kit in the first World War. I'm sure at that point the European troops were jealous of our sweet sweet pie, probably being on some pretty terrible rations after all those years of war.

"Doughboys" has been a nickname for the American infantry way back to the Mexican-American war.

Though it was adopted by the UK soldiers in WW1 for the Americans as well.

there have been tons of theories why they were called this... no one can seem to agree on an actual answer.

We had a sub place here called Doughboys. It was excellent. Then Pilsbury threatened to sue or did and that was that. Now it's a Starbucks.

[Amazing Kitsune]

*Well as I'm English so I like my Apple Pie hot which is apparently not something that happens in America.*

...as an American, I've neither seen nor heard of apple pie being served cold. (Well, OK, I've heard of it being served cold...but that's uncommon where I'm from)

Most often I see Apple Pie a la Mode, where the apple pie is hot but served with cold ice-cream.

[Deleted]

You know what is American though? German chocolate cake.

[CMPunkyBrewster]

Because f*** it, that's why.

[Deleted]

Mar 3, 2017 9:39:24 GMT -5 Toilet Paper Roll said:

In America we all have apple pie for breakfast, an entire one then salute the flag we just usually keep bit secret from evil foreigners.


I've said too much.

At least you didn't mention our afternoon baseball games.

[Glitch]

Americans loved it so much that they made it their own. Kind of like how curry has started to become associated with Japan.