Lemon Meringue Pie is a dessert made from a pie shell filled with lemon custard, which is made from lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, egg yolks and sometimes starch, and topped with meringue. It has been enjoyed by numerous people since its creation a over a hundred years ago, is popular in Britain and America, and has been celebrated on its own day, August 15, or ‘National Lemon Meringue Pie Day’.

Lemons grow on trees in warmer climates all year round, producing 500 to 600 every year, and have been cultivated since the first century A.D. in the Mediterranean. These citrus fruits are high in vitamin C, and the main component that goes into making a lemon meringue pie.

Exactly where and when the pie was invented is not know, as there are conflicting accounts as to who was the first to invent it. Some put its origins in America, crediting 18^th century Elizabeth Coane Goodfellow of Philadelphia as the creator. She had a pastry shop and ran a cooking school, and so she is one of the more famous people credited with creating the pie. One issue is that there was never officially published a recipe for her pies, meaning there is no specific recipe associated with her. It was only through accounts from her students that we know she often made lemon meringue pies.

However, this claim is disputed by people who point out that her recipe calls for lemon pudding and uses minimal amounts of meringue, so there is some disagreement over whether or not this counts as lemon meringue pie. Another difficulty in determining an origin point for the pie is that it is disputed what counts as lemon meringue pie, with many such pies being called “iced lemon pie, lemon cream pie and lemon custard pie,” or other such alternate names for the dish, even though it was largely all the same thing.

Some think the invention of lemon meringue pie can be attributed to Emile Campbell-Browne, who had a similar recipe in 1875. Others think the first recorded recipe came from the Swiss baker Alexander Frehse. Some believe it first came from Victorian England, where it was originally known as Lemon Chester Pudding. The Quakers created lemon custard in the late 1700s, which was a precursor to the pie. Given the wide range of conflicting accounts concerning the origin of the pie and who deserves the credit, and how little consensus there is on which is correct, any information on the history of its creation must consider that it might not be telling the whole story.

On a more personal note, lemon meringue pie is my preference when it comes to pies. I am a rather picky eater and do not enjoy most foods, so I only really eat pumpkin and lemon meringue pie. And of the two, the latter is my favorite. My family sometimes gets me lemon meringue pies for my birthday, and on a few occasions my grandmother or my brother have baked me lemon meringue pies from scratch, which were very good.

Bibliography

SWEET PIE DESSERT

Lemon Meringue Pie

https://www.tasteatlas.com/lemon-meringue-pie

National Lemon Meringue Pie Day

https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/lemon-meringue-pie-day/

The all-American history of lemon meringue pie

This tart and tasty classic is more homegrown than apple pie

By Larissa Milne MARCH 13, 2019

https://www.10best.com/interests/food-culture/the-all-american-history-of-lemon-meringue-pie/