40 Pies From Around the World

Here are the pies from around the world we have showcased on this scrumptious chart:

American Samoan pie: Paifala
Australian pie: Tasmanian scallop pie
Belgian pie: Geraardsbergen mattentaart
Bolivian pie: Salteña de carne
Bosnian pie: Kvrguša
Brazilian pie: Empadão de frango
Canadian pies: Bakeapple pie and flapper pie
Chinese pie: Xian bing
English pie: Banoffee pie
Finnish pie: Mustikkapiirakka
French pie: Quiche Lorraine
Georgian pie: Adjarian khachapuri
German pie: Zwetschgenkuchen
Greek pie: Spanakopita
Irish pie: Shepherd’s pie
Sardinian pie: Pardula
Tuscan pie: Tortino di carciofi
Jamaican pie: Jamaican beef patty
Japanese pie: Hokkaido baked cheese tart
Lebanese pie: Sfiha
Moroccan pie: Chicken pastilla
Dutch pie: Rijstevlaai
New Zealand pie: Mince and cheese pie
Nigerian pie: Nigerian meat pie
North Macedonian pie: Zelnik
Persian pie: Tah chin
Filipino pie: Buko pie
Portuguese pie: Pastel de nata
Romanian pie: Pască
Russian pie: Coulibiac
Serbian pie: Bundevara
Swedish pie: Smulpaj
South African pie: Bobotie
Spanish pie: Empanada Gallega
Swiss pie: Bündner nusstorte
Ukrainian pie: Yavorivs’kiy pie
American pie: Apple pie
Floridian pie: Key lime pie

What’s Classified as a Pie?

Pie is delightful, but what IS pie? According to Dictionary.com, pie is defined as “a baked food in a pastry-lined pan or dish that has a fruit, meat, pudding, or other filling, and it often also has a pastry crust on top.”

Why Is it Called Pie?

It is believed that the origin of the name “pie” comes from magpie, a bird that is part of the corvidae family (same as crows). “Pie” was a word used for magpie before it was applied to the pastry, originating from the Latin term for the bird, “pica.” That word morphed into “pie” in Old French, which eventually became the name for the bird in English.

So how did the word for a bird become the name of the beloved flaky treat? There is no concrete record of how or why the word became the term for a baked good with filling, but strong evidence suggests that the connection comes down to the bird’s quirky hoarding behaviors. Magpies and crows are renowned for their habit of gathering an assortment of odds and ends to build and decorate their nests. To medieval cooks, assembling a pie may have felt similar, with various ingredients gathered and baked into a crust.

Pie + Country	Description
Paifala American Samoa (U.S.)	Hand pie filled with pineapple, coconut, sugar, and milk
Tasmanian scallop pie Australia	Flaky pie filled with Tasmanian scallops, curry sauce, diced carrots, onions, potatoes, celery, and corn
Geraardsbergen mattentaart Belgium	Small, sweet pie filled with curdled milk, eggs, sugar, and almond flavoring
Salteña de carne Bolivia	Mini pie filled with spiced meat, potatoes, onions, and peas
Kvrguša Bosnia	Whole chicken drumsticks baked in a thin layer of pastry, often topped with sour cream
Empadão de frango Brazil	Chicken pot pie with chopped green olives, corn, peas, hearts of palm, tomato sauce, and dashes of hot sauce
Bakeapple pie Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada	Sugared cloudberry pie with a touch of vinegar in the crust
Flapper pie Canada	Graham crumb pie crust filled with a creamy custard and topped with fluffy meringue
Xian bing China	Juicy meat and scallion pie seasoned with ginger, pepper, and soy
Pie de limón Chile	Condensed milk and lemon juice pie topped with a thick, fluffy meringue
Banoffee pie England	Buttery biscuit crust topped with bananas, cream, thick caramel sauce, and a dusting of coffee or chocolate
Mustikkapiirakka Finland	Luscious, thick sour cream and blueberry filling on a crumbly crust; may be flavored with cardamom and vanilla
Quiche Lorraine France	Pastry crust filled with Swiss cheese, bacon, and savory, creamy custard
Adjarian khachapuri Georgia	Open-faced cheese pie topped with an egg
Zwetschgenkuchen Germany	Shortcrust pie topped with zwetschgen plums
Spanakopita Greece	Spinach and cheese baked into paper-thin phyllo dough
Shepherd’s pie Ireland	Ground meat (typically lamb or beef), gravy, onions, and vegetables topped with a thick, seasoned layer of mashed potatoes
Pardula Sardinia, Italy	Small pies made with semolina, lard, sugar, ricotta, eggs, saffron, and grated lemon zest, eaten warm with powdered sugar
Tortino di carciofi Tuscany, Italy	Savory tart with butter, eggs, artichokes, cream, eggs, and nutmeg, baked until the eggs puff up
Jamaican beef patty Jamaica	Spicy beef-filled hand pie colored with an egg yolk and turmeric mixture
Hokkaido baked cheese tart Japan	Cream cheese tart with a flaky crust. Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost island, is famous for its creamy, rich dairy with a mild vanilla flavor.
Sfiha Lebanon	Flat pie with a minced meat topping (often lamb), onion, tomato, pine nuts, and spices
Chicken pastilla Morocco	Chicken pie with almonds and ras el hanout (spice mix of cinnamon, coriander, pepper, ginger, turmeric, and anise seeds) with a thin, crispy pastry shell topped with powdered sugar
Rijstevlaai Netherlands	Rice pudding tart topped with creamy meringue and chocolate shavings
Mince and cheese pie New Zealand	Filled with minced steak enveloped in thick, beefy gravy and pockets of melted cheese
Nigerian meat pie Nigeria	Hand pie filled with minced beef, onions, carrots, potatoes, and a curry-spiced sauce
Zelnik North Macedonia	Layers of pastry filled with sirene (white cheese), feta, eggs, sorrel, browned meat, rice, leeks, and brined cabbage, served warm with yogurt
Tah chin Persia	Crispy golden rice pie with onions, chicken, barberries, yogurt, garlic, lemon zest, and saffron
Buko pie Philippines	Flaky crust pastry with young coconut and custard filling
Pastel de nata Portugal	Egg custard tart dusted with cinnamon
Pască Romania	Cozonac dough pie filled with fresh cheese (such as cottage cheese), raisins, eggs, and sugar. Other variants use sour cream, berry, or chocolate filling.
Coulibiac Russia	Flaky crust stuffed with fish (salmon or sturgeon), rice, onions, dill, cumin, coriander, cardamon, and star anise
Bundevara Serbia	Strudel-like flaky pie filled with sweetened pumpkin
Smulpaj Sweden	Sugar, wheat flour, and oatmeal topping over an apple, rhubarb, or bilberry filling baked directly in a pie dish, without a pastry shell
Bobotie South Africa	Cape Town specialty made from spiced meat, chutney, milk-soaked bread, and tamarind paste, topped with eggs and baked until golden
Empanada Gallega Spain	Two-crusted savory pie filled with meat or fish, red peppers, and onion
Bündner nusstorte Switzerland	Caramelized walnut interior with a shortcrust pastry shell, often flavored with milk and honey
Yavorivs’kiy pie Ukraine	Savory potato and buckwheat pie with onion, chives, and butter
Apple pie United States	Rich, syrupy cinnamon apples topped with a latticed flaky crust
Key lime pie Florida, United States	Tart, lively pie made with key limes; may be topped with a meringue

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This page was last updated by Bruce Kulick and Lisa Lane Kulick