Bridging the Gap - The cultural exchange thread

[Gors]

Here's an important question that spans all countries and cultures;
What is even going on with pies?

Over here a pie is like a staple food thing, you take a pastry crust and you fill it with A Food. Fruits, meats, hot, cold, whatever, it's a handy food that's tasty and fun for all the family at every meal and for snacks.

Basically, I am confused, what are pies doing in your country?

Well, the concept of pie is a rather broad one, I'll try to be as succint as possible.

The word "pie" by itself is inexistant in any form in Brazilian Portuguese. Because of this, we use the word "torta", which is a French loanword of "tarte". This also means that in Brazil, no differenciation happens between a pie (usually covered top) and a tart (usually not covered).

Additionally, torta also can refer to a baked savory cake in rectangular moulds, with fillings mixed directly into the dough before baked. This torta is the default meaning.



In Portugal, a small sweet pie called "Pastel de Belém" (Bethlehem's pastry dish) is popular, made with lots of egg yolks and sugar, and is considered a fine delicacy. However, in Brazil, the same word "Pastel" means "Enchilada" and in Spanish, "Pastel" means "Pie." Our savory "torta" in Portugal is known as "Empanada" which means "Chicken Nuggets" in Brazil.

I think it's just better to drop this chart instead of trying to explain it myself