Joining the ranks of Champagne, Stilton Cheese and Parma ham, the humble Cornish Pasty can now only be made in the place which bears its name.
Under a new EU ruling, the Cornish pasty has received something called “protected geographical indication” status. In English that means as the pasty is identified strongly with Cornwall, any pasty bearing that name must be made in the county of Cornwall.
This has delighted devotees of the famous pasty who claim that inferior versions often made outside the county are ruining the reputation of their national dish.
What the ruling doesn’t specify is how the Cornish pasty should be made, although according to those in the know there are rules (albeit unofficial) about this.
The Cornish Pasty Association describes it as: “A genuine Cornish pasty has a distinctive ‘D’ shape and is crimped on one side, never on top. The texture of the filling for the pasty is chunky, made up of uncooked minced or roughly cut chunks of beef (not less than 12.5%), swede, potato and onion and a light peppery seasoning.”
Now all the Cornish need to do is work out how to ship their pasties around the country overnight without making the pastry go soggy (a problem with frozen pasties).
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