There is a wealth of historical evidence confirming the importance of the Cornish pasty as part of the county’s culinary heritage. The pasty became commonplace in the 16th and 17th centuries and really attained its true Cornish identity during the last 200 years. By the 18th century the pasty was firmly established as a Cornish food.

The familiar Cornish pasty was made and eaten by poorer working families who could only afford cheap ingredients – potatoes, turnip (swede) and onion. Meat was added later. By the end of the 18th century the Cornish pasty had become the staple diet of working men across Cornwall, and their families too. Miners and farm workers took this portable, easy-to-eat convenience food to work with them because it was so well suited to the purpose. Its size and shape made it easy to carry (usually in a pocket), its pastry case insulated the contents and was durable enough to survive while its wholesome, nourishing ingredients provided enough sustenance to see the workers through their long and arduous days.

At one time it was even common place for a pasty to contain a savoury filling in one end and a sweet filling at the other, usually fruit, jam or treacle to provide a full meal with dessert. The pasty owner's initials were marked on one end of the pasty and was to be consumed from the opposite end of the initials to avoid any confusion.

There are many stories about the shape of the pasty, with the most popular being that the D shape enabled men working in tin mines to reheat them underground, as well as eat them safely. The crust (crimped edge) was used as a handle which was then discarded due to the high levels of arsenic in many of the tin mines.

Another less practical but more superstitious theory, was that miners often wanted to save a 'corner' of the pasty for the 'Knockers'. The Knockers were believed to be mischievous imps of the mines, who unless they were left sustenance from the miners, they'd be liable cause all sorts of trouble should they go hungry.

Given Product of Geographic Interest (PGI) status back in 2011, the term 'Cornish pasty' is closely protected to preserve authenticity and identify to customers when they are buying a true traditional Cornish pasty. Producers are unable to call their product a Cornish pasty until it has been verified and certified as meeting the strict guidelines necessary to claim authenticity.

To be considered eligible for PGI status, a producers pasty must not only be produced in Cornwall but also follow strict production guidelines and standards. To be considered a Cornish pasty the product must satisfy the following minimum criteria:

Although the pastry can be shortcrust, rough puff or puff depending on the bakers’ individual recipe it must be savoury and robust enough to retain its shape throughout the cooking, cooling and handling process.

The mandatory filling ingredients for Cornish pasties are:

• Sliced or diced potato
• Swede (Traditionally, in Cornwall ‘swede’ is referred to as ‘turnip’ so the two terms are interchangeable and you may see this on ingredients lists, but the actual ingredient is swede)
• Onion
• A minimum of 25% vegetable content
• Diced or minced beef with a meat content no less than 12.5%
• Seasoning to taste, primarily salt and pepper.

No meats other than beef, and no vegetables other than those listed in the mandatory ingredients are to be used in the filling.

No artificial additives are to be present in the filling of the baked pasty.

The Cornish pasties are assembled into a ‘D’ shape and the pastry edges are then crimped either by hand or mechanically. Crimping is the traditional process by which the edges of a Cornish pasty are sealed. The resultant crimped edge sits to one side of the pasty and is distinctive to, and different from a simple pinched seal across the top of the pasty.

For further information on the protected status of the Cornish Pasty please visit Gov.co.uk - Protected Geographical Indication (PGI). Alternatively, an outline of the protections are explained on The Cornish Pasty Association (CPA) website