This Is How Kentucky Sawdust Pie Got Its Unappetizing Name - Tasting Table

"With a name like "sawdust pie," you'd be forgiven for thinking that this particular pastry falls into the broad category of "desperation pies." Many of these recipes have come to the culinary surface again in recent years, things like mock apple pie, vinegar pie, and - perhaps least appetizing of all - water pie, which were originally born of economic hardship. Fortunately, sawdust pie shares little with those recipes except for a similarly depressing name. And, thankfully, it also contains zero sawdust."

"Patti Tullar is credited with having invented this particular treat in 1977 for the menu at Patti's 1880 Settlement, a business that began in 1975 as a hotel and restaurant that she ran with her husband, Bill, in Grand Rivers, Kentucky. While she might have initially taken umbrage with her children for the unappetizing name they bestowed on her pie, it certainly made the dessert memorable. So memorable, in fact, that in 1983, Bon Appétit magazine reached out to ask her for the recipe."

"So, if this pie isn't filled with the detritus from the local sawmill, what exactly will you find in a sawdust pie? Patti Tullar's original recipe for this Kentucky classic contains flaked coconut, chopped pecans, and graham cracker crumbs, as well as lots of egg whites, white sugar, and a thinly sliced banana. When you look at the ingredient list, it isn't hard to see how this pie came to earn its name, but it does sound pretty delicious"

Sawdust pie originated in Kentucky in 1977 when Patti Tullar created the dessert for Patti's 1880 Settlement in Grand Rivers. Her children called the finished pie "sawdust pie" because its appearance resembled baked sawdust, a nickname that made the dessert memorable. Bon Appétit requested the recipe in 1983, which helped spread the pie's popularity across the United States. The original recipe combines flaked coconut, chopped pecans, graham cracker crumbs, many egg whites, white sugar, and thinly sliced banana. The resulting texture and ingredients explain the name while producing a sweet, nutty, coconut-forward dessert.

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