Pure Pasty writes: The pasty originates from the southwest of England, in Cornwall. It has a long and unique history going back centuries. Some say it’s the oldest food to go. One of the oldest references is that Jane Seymour (Henry VIII’s 3rd wife) had pasties made for Henry by one of her bakers. They are also mentioned in Shakespearean plays. Cornish folklore said that the devil would never dare enter Cornwall because the Cornish housewife was so adept at creating pasties with any filling, he feared she would put him into a pasty. Perhaps the pasty is best known as the traditional food of Cornish tin miners (dating back to the 16th to late 19th centuries). The pasty was easy to carry and provided a hearty, substantial meal to keep a hard-working miner going all day. When the tin in Cornwall was mined out, the miners emigrated all over the world and took their dish with them, including to parts of the United States.
