10 Things You Never Knew About The Cornish Pasty

1. Cornish fishermen won’t take a pasty to sea as it is believed to bring bad luck.
2. A true Cornish pasty is always crimped by hand, made with between 17 and 21 individual crimps.
3. Cornish tin miners would always leave a piece of their lunchtime pasty for the knockers – the spirits who inhabited the mine workings.
4. All ingredients in an authentic Cornish pasty are raw – the pasty is only cooked once and eaten hot.
5. Cornish mines had ovens at the top of the shafts to keep the miners’ lunchtime pasties warm. The miners’ wives would mark their husband’s pasty with his initials.
6. The Cornish term for a pasty is “oggy” or “oggie”.
7. Supporters of the Cornish rugby team will throw a pasty over the posts before a big match to bring their team luck.
8. Modern times have seen the pasty fillings evolve – Crantock Bakery make over 30 different types of pasty, including spicy lamb, haggis, and a certified halal pasty.
9. The earliest reference to a pasty comes in the 13th century.
10. To be an authentic Cornish pasty, it must be made in Cornwall.