Pastie facts for kids
A pastie is a popular food from Northern Ireland. It's a round patty made of ground meat and vegetables, covered in a crispy batter, and then deep-fried until golden. You'll often find pasties served in local fish and chip shops across the country.
When you order a "pastie supper," it means you get a pastie with a side of chips. Sometimes, people also enjoy a "pastie bap" or "pastie burger," which is a pastie served inside a white bread roll. It's a common and tasty meal for many people in Northern Ireland.
Contents
What is a Pastie Made Of?
Pastie recipes can be a little different from one place to another, but they usually include a few main ingredients.
Key Ingredients
- Ground Pork: This is the main meat used. Ground pork is meat that has been chopped into very small pieces.
- Onion: Adds flavor to the mixture.
- Potato: Helps to make the pastie filling hearty and soft.
- Seasoning: Spices and salt are added to give the pastie its unique taste.
These ingredients are mixed together and shaped into a flat, round patty, similar to a burger.
How Pasties Are Cooked
Once the pastie patty is formed, it gets a special coating.
- Batter: The patty is dipped into a liquid mixture called batter. This batter is usually made from flour, water, and sometimes eggs. It creates a crispy shell when cooked.
- Deep-Frying: After being covered in batter, the pastie is cooked in hot oil. This cooking method is called deep-frying, and it makes the outside of the pastie very crispy while keeping the inside soft and warm.
A Bit of History: The Pink Pastie
In the past, some chip shops would add a special red color to the pastie filling. This color came from a natural dye called cochineal. It made the pastie filling look bright pink, which some people thought made it look more appealing. However, because some people can have allergies to cochineal dye, many shops have stopped using it today.
