Pie Floater Recipe with Pea Soup (2024)

FAQs

What is a pea floater? ›

The pie floater is an Australian dish sold in Adelaide. It consists of a meat pie in a thick pea soup, typically with the addition of tomato sauce. Believed to have been first created in the 1890s, the pie floater gained popularity as a meal sold by South Australian pie carts.

Long feted as a traditional South Australian dish, the National Trust of Australia recognised the pie floater as a 'South Australian Heritage Icon' in 2003. The origin of the dish is attributed to our British roots, where 'pea and pie supper' and 'floaters' (dumplings in soup) are traditional Yorkshire dishes.

Sadly, none of the Adelaide pie carts remain, though you can still get an excellent floater at one of the classics, the 24-hour Cafe de Vili's (cafedevilis.com.au).

Th e cultivation of dried peas dates back to 2,000 BC where they were consumed by the Chinese. Modern day split peas are thought to have originated from the fi eld pea, native to Europe and Asia. Dried peas were introduced to the Americas with the early colonists.

The Ancient Egyptians created the first example of what we know as pies today. Later on, closer to the 5th Century BC, the Ancient Greeks were believed to invent pie pastry as it is mentioned in the plays of the writer Aristophanes and it was possible to work as a pastry chef in this era, a separate trade to a baker.

Likely named for its portability, the hand pie—or “pocket pie”—was another plantation creation. On a Good Eats episode titled “A Pie in Every Pocket,” Alton Brown explains that after baking pies for their masters, slaves snuck away with leftover dough and filling to secretly make hand pies to feed themselves.

The Pilgrim fathers and early settlers brought their pie recipes with them to America, adapting to the ingredients and techniques available to them in the New World. Settlers' recipes were for English-style meat pies.

Because the Aussie meat pie is ingrained in the lifestyle, it's smaller than British variations – making them a perfect snack at the footy, community events, road trips, and backyard parties. They're often dubbed 'pocket warmers' for this very reason.

The meat pie was brought to Australia by British settlers in the 18th century. The first meat pies were simple affairs, made with a pastry crust and filled with meat and gravy. These pies were a convenient and portable meal for workers and travellers, and quickly became a popular food item in the growing colonies.

The tasty pie is widely regarded as a New Zealand culinary icon and staple. It comes pipin' hot with crispy pastry and chock full of a glorious savoury filling.

What is the history of pie face? ›

Pie Face is an Australian food chain which predominantly sells pies, sausage rolls and coffee. It was founded in 2003 in Sydney, Australia, by Wayne Homschek. Following a period of rapid growth in Australia and overseas, the company entered administration in 2014 and the majority of the chain's stores closed.

From the 13th through the 16th Centuries, pies took a bit of an odd turn as “animated pies” became popular among the royalty of Europe. These pies (which were baked first but served cold for reasons that will soon become obvious) featured live animals, and in some cases people, hidden within the top crust.

As a matter of fact, in film, pie throwing dates back to the early 1900's, and even earlier on stage. Throughout history, many of the comedy greats like, Charlie Chaplin, Laurel and Hardy, Stan Wolnic and of course the Three Stooges have had their hand in the game of pie throwing.

Who Invented the Pie? Believe it or not, it was in fact the Ancient Egyptians who were the first to create a dish that is similar to what we now know as a pie. Typically, they filled their 'pies' with honey and covered them in a crusty cake made from oats, wheat, rye and barley.