Key lime pie
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Key lime pie is an American dessert pie. It is made of
Key lime The Key lime or acid lime (''Citrus'' × ''aurantiifolia'' or ''C. aurantifolia'') is a citrus hybrid (''kaffir lime, C. hystrix'' × ''citron, C. medica'') native to tropical Southeast Asia. It has a spherical fruit, in diameter. The Key lime ...
juice,
egg yolk Among animals which produce eggs, the yolk (; also known as the vitellus) is the nutrient-bearing portion of the egg whose primary function is to supply food for the development of the embryo. Some types of egg contain no yolk, for example bec ...
s, and sweetened condensed milk. It may be served with no topping, with a
meringue Meringue ( , ) is a type of dessert or candy, of French cuisine, French origin, traditionally made from Whisk, whipped egg whites and sugar, and occasionally an acid, acidic ingredient such as lemon, vinegar, or potassium bitartrate, cream of t ...
topping made from egg whites, or with
whipped cream Whipped cream, also known as Chantilly cream or (), is high-fat dairy cream that has been aerated by whisking until it becomes light, fluffy, and capable of holding its shape. This process incorporates air into the cream, creating a semi-soli ...
. Traditionally, Key lime pie is made using a
graham cracker crust Graham cracker crust is a style of pie crust made from crushed graham crackers. Graham crackers are a sweet American cracker made from unbleached, whole wheat graham flour. The crust is usually flavored and stiffened with butter or vegetable o ...
. It may be made with or without baking in a
pie crust Shortcrust is a type of pastry often used for the base of a tart, quiche, pie, or (in the British English sense) flan. Shortcrust pastry can be used to make both sweet and savory pies such as apple pie, quiche, lemon meringue or chicken pie. ...
or without crust. The dish is named after the small
Key lime The Key lime or acid lime (''Citrus'' × ''aurantiifolia'' or ''C. aurantifolia'') is a citrus hybrid (''kaffir lime, C. hystrix'' × ''citron, C. medica'') native to tropical Southeast Asia. It has a spherical fruit, in diameter. The Key lime ...
s, which are more aromatic than the common Persian limes, and which have yellow juice. The filling in a Key lime pie is typically yellow because of the egg yolks. The filling is made similarly to a Magic Lemon cream pie, by mixing the ingredients without cooking: the proteins of the egg yolks and condensed milk and the acidic lime juice curdle, thickening the mixture without baking. The pies are usually baked to pasteurize the eggs and thicken the filling further.


History

Key lime pie is probably derived from the "Magic Lemon Cream Pie" published in a promotional brochure by Borden, a producer of condensed milk, in 1931. The recipe is attributed to Borden's fictional spokesperson, Jane Ellison, and includes condensed milk, lemon juice and rind, and egg yolks. It is covered with meringue, baked, and served cold."Jane Ellison", ''New magic in the kitchen: quick, easy recipes made with sweetened condensed milk''
p. 27
/ref> According to the pastry chef Stella Parks, users of the recipe altered it with local ingredients; she describes it as "a stunning reminder of how deeply America's traditions are shaped by advertising". In the 1980s, food writer John Egerton dated the presence of key lime pie in the
Florida Keys The Florida Keys are a coral island, coral cay archipelago off the southern coast of Florida, forming the southernmost part of the continental United States. They begin at the southeastern coast of the Florida peninsula, about south of Miami a ...
to at least the 1890s, a dating author
Jean Anderson Mary Jean Heriot Powell (12 December 1907 – 1 April 2001), better known by her stage name Jean Anderson, was an English actress best remembered for her television roles as formidable matriarch Mary Hammond in the BBC drama ''The Brothers (197 ...
characterized as credible due to nature of refrigeration standards of the time. A "Tropical Lime Chiffon Pie", using condensed milk and egg yolks was documented in a 1933
Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
newspaper article. Quoted in An "icebox lime pie", was mentioned as a specialty of the Florida Keys in 1935. and a recipe under the name "Key Lime Pie" was published in 1940. No earlier solid sources are known, despite appeals to the public. A 1927 Key West Women's Club cookbook does not mention the recipe. A 1926 restaurant menu includes "lime pie", but it is unclear what it was. Various accounts claim that it was known earlier, but none were recorded before 1933. A widely reported story claims that William Curry's cook Aunt Sally invented it in the late 19th century. But there is no evidence for this, and the oldest version of this story dates to only 1995, in promotional materials for a Bed and Breakfast in Curry's former house. It was in the 1950s that Key lime pie was promoted as Florida's "most famous treat" and in 1987 as "the greatest of all regional American desserts."


Key limes

Key lime ('' Citrus aurantifolia'' 'Swingle') is naturalized throughout the
Florida Keys The Florida Keys are a coral island, coral cay archipelago off the southern coast of Florida, forming the southernmost part of the continental United States. They begin at the southeastern coast of the Florida peninsula, about south of Miami a ...
. While the tree's thorns make harvesting them less tractable, and the fruit's thin, yellow rind is more perishable than the common
Persian lime Persian lime (''Citrus'' × ''latifolia''), also known by other common names such as seedless lime, Bearss lime and Tahiti lime, is a citrus fruit species of hybrid origin, known only in cultivation. The Persian lime is a triploid cross betwe ...
s seen year-round at grocery stores in the United States, Key limes are both more tart and more aromatic. They have not been grown commercially in the U.S. since the 1926 Miami hurricane, and are generally imported from Central or South America. Key lime juice, unlike regular lime juice, is a pale yellow. Bottled Key lime juice, invariably from concentrate, is widely available at retail in the United States.


Legislation

Florida State Representative Bernie Papy, Jr. is said to have introduced
geographical indication A geographical indication (GI) is a name or sign used on products which corresponds to a specific geographical location or origin (e.g., a town or region). The use of a geographical indication, as an indication of the product's source, is inten ...
legislation in 1965 calling for a $100 fine to be levied against anyone advertising Key lime pie not made with Key limes. The bill failed. Florida statute 15.052, passed in July 2006, designates Key lime pie "the official Florida state pie".


In popular culture

In the television series ''
Dexter Dexter may refer to: People * Dexter (given name) * Dexter (surname) * Dexter (singer), Brazilian rapper Marcos Fernandes de Omena (born 1973) * Famous Dex, also known as Dexter, American rapper Dexter Tiewon Gore Jr. (born 1993) Places United ...
'', key lime pie features significantly in the episode " Easy As Pie", in which Camilla Figg tasks Dexter to bring her the "perfect key lime pie."


See also

* Cream pie *
Lemon meringue pie Lemon meringue pie is a dessert pie consisting of a shortened pastry base filled with lemon curd and topped with meringue. History Fruit desserts covered with baked meringue were found beginning in the 18th century in France. Menon's ''pomm ...
* Lemon pie * Lime * Pavlova (food)


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Key Lime Pie American pies Cuisine of the Southern United States Fruit pies Florida cuisine Culture of Key West, Florida Citrus dishes Limes (fruit) Symbols of Florida