Possum pie
Possum pie is a pie in American cuisine that is an iconic pie rarely seen outside Arkansas. The pie is made with several layers, with the most common being layers of vanilla pudding, cream cheese, chocolate custard and/or sour cream.[1] There are many different combinations making use of alternating layers of cream cheese and puddings topped with whipped cream.[2] The pecan shortbread crust is different from other icebox pies.[3]
Possum pie earned its name because the pie "plays possum" by hiding all the layers of its ingredients under a thick whipped cream topping. The dessert does not actually contain possum meat.[1][4]
History
[edit]The first mention of Possum Pie in the Arkansas Gazette dates to a 1983 restaurant review. The recipe itself doesn't begin to appear in food sections until the late 2000s. An earlier recipe for a layered nut-crumb crust pudding and cream cheese pie with whipped topping was submitted to the Arkansas Dairy Recipe Contest, a student content open to fourth-12th graders. Similar recipes for a pie called "The Next Best Thing to Robert Redford" were being published by the Indianapolis Star and Los Angeles Times by 1982.[5] Historically the term was mostly used in minstrel songs.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Arkansas' Possum Pie Contains No Marsupials". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
- ^ Robinson, Kat (November 23, 2011). "Playing possum with pie". Arkansas Times.
- ^ "Arkansas Possum Pie". Sierra News Online.
- ^ "Possum Pie: A Funny Name For A Favorite Southern Dessert". Southern Living. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
- ^ Brant, Kelly (February 16, 2022). "The deep history of Possum Pie, a classic Arkansas dessert and tasty concoction". Arkansas Democrat Gazette.
- ^ "Depictions and/or Representations of Specific Groups of Persons - Sheet Music in Library Special Collections". UCLA Library.
Ah Wants to Die From Eatin' Possum Pie
External links
[edit]- Recipe for possum pie - Taste of the South