What is a GI?
GI stands for Geographic Indicator. It’s a framework that gives legal protection to the name Cornish Pasty and stops inferior products being passed off as genuine Cornish pasties.
What are the characteristics of a genuine Cornish pasty?
Firstly, the pasty must have been made within the geographical county of Cornwall
Then a genuine Cornish pasty must only contain:
- Roughly diced or minced beef
- Sliced or diced potato
- Swede (turnip)
- Onion
- Seasoning to taste (mainly salt & pepper)
The ingredients must be uncooked when the pasty is assembled.
The pastry must be savoury and can be shortcrust, puff or rough puff and must hold all ingredients through cooking and handling without cracking or breaking.
The pasty must be crimped into a D shape, with the crimp towards one side, and glazed with milk, egg or both, before being slowly baked to combine and release all the lovely flaovurs.
What does the GI status mean for Cornish pasty makers?
GI status marks Cornish pasties out as a quality product that the customer can rely on to meet the specified method of making laid down by law. When people see the GI symbols on a Cornish pasty, they know they’re getting the real thing.
Can I buy genuine Cornish pasties outside of Cornwall?
Definitely! Every day thousands of Cornish pasties are sent all over Britain and beyond, to be sold in shops, supermarkets, cafes, pubs and concessions. Many pasty producers also sell them online. Sometimes these are baked and packaged in Cornwall and sometimes they are prepared in Cornwall then freshly baked at their final destination. As long as the pasty is made in Cornwall, by an approved Cornish pasty producer, you can enjoy it wherever you are.
How is the industry regulated?
Any product sold using the protected Cornish pasty name needs to be verified. Products and production methods are therefore audited by an approved external body (Cornwall Council is the one we recommend) and certified that they meet the required standard.
After receiving this verification, a producer can use the name Cornish Pasty when selling those products. All producers are re-audited periodically to ensure they are still producing genuine Cornish pasties that meet the GI standard.
Do I need to be a member of the CPA to produce and sell Cornish pasties?
No you don’t. The Association came about in order to help Cornish pasties achieve their special recognition and now exists to promote and uphold these standards among the family of Cornish Pasty producers.
Once a producer obtains their GI certification they are automatically eligible to become a member of the CPA, and there’s no fee for joining up. When you join, we’ll give you all the advice you need about the GI and you’ll have the chance to join in with the CPA’s activities such as Cornish Pasty Week.
If that’s not for you, you can still use the name Cornish Pasty, as long as your products have been verified by one of the approved bodies and you’ve received your certificate.
How do I know if I’ve bought a genuine Cornish pasty?
Look for one of the GI logos in the shop, on the labelling, or on the packaging. All genuine Cornish pasties should bear this. Pasties made by CPA members may also carry the CPA’s certification mark. If in doubt, ask where the pasties came from and you can always check it out with us.
Who should I go to for advice?
We’re here to help with as much as possible. We deal with calls, letters and emails from all over the world asking about Cornish pasties. We can point you in the direction of other sources of information and answer most questions about pasties – apart from – who makes the best one?!
Phone: 01872 865101
Email: [emailprotected]
Write: Cornish Pasty Association
c/o Cornwall Food & Drink Ltd
Great Cornish Food Store, Tregurra Park, Newquay Road, Truro TR1 1RH
FAQs
As mining boomed in Cornwall, pasties became a go-to meal for the miners' crib break (a Cornish colloquialism for a mid-morning break): they were an all-in-one meal that could be taken down the mines, particularly if they were so deep that it was impractical for the miners to return to the surface during the day for a ...
What is the pasty controversy? ›
Opposition. In response to the ensuing row, a number of campaigns were launched in order to try to prevent the tax rise on the Cornish pasty. These ranged from The Sun's "Who VAT all the pies" campaign to an online petition set up by the Cornish Pasty Association entitled "Don't Tax My Pasty".
Is it illegal to call a Cornish pasty? ›
The Cornish pasty has been given protected status by the European Commission so no matter where it is made in order to be called a Cornish pasty it has to contain beef, onion, swede and salt and pepper and be crimped along the side not along the top.
What is the secret of the Cornish pasty? ›
Use a firm waxy potato such as Maris Peer or Wilja. A floury potato will disintegrate on cooking. Crimping is one of the secrets to a true Cornish pasty. A good hand crimp is usually a sign of a good handmade pasty.
What is the meaning of pasty pasty? ›
1. of or like the colour, texture, etc of paste. 2. (esp of the complexion) pale or unhealthy-looking. nounWord forms: plural pasties.
What is the meaning of Cornish pasty? ›
: a filled pastry containing cooked meat and vegetables.
What is a Cornish Pasty called in America? ›
This made for a hearty yet portable meal for the miners. They're still very popular there, and you'll find them in every local bakery and community cookbook! American pasties are the American equivalent to Cornish pasties.
What is the difference between a Cornish Pasty and a pasty? ›
There will always be great debate about the origin of the pasty, but one easy way to detect the Devon pasty from the Cornish is that the Devon pasty has a top-crimp and is oval in shape, whereas the Cornish pasty is semi-circular and side-crimped along the curve.
What does it mean when a girl is pasty? ›
(of someone's skin) pale and unhealthy looking: a pasty face.
Why are there no carrots in Cornish pasties? ›
No debate here: carrots are "sacrilege" as the Cornish Pasty Association points out: the swede adds all the sweetness this dish needs. Older recipes tend to be vague on exact details but potatoes should be waxy, as the CPA makes clear, rather than the floury ones Mark Hix uses, so they keep their shape when cooked.
Since 2011, the Cornish Pasty has enjoyed protected status under Protected Food Names legislation; so only a pasty made to a specific recipe in Cornwall can be called a “Cornish Pasty”.
Why does a Cornish pasty have 20 crimps? ›
The Cornish pasty
Pasties went down the mines, across the fields and out to sea. Which is why they have the crimped edges so that the miners could hold onto them (there are no soap and basins down the mines!) The Cornish pasty's name came west of the Tamar, in the county of Cornwall.
What is the nickname for a Cornish pasty? ›
A pasty is known as a "tiddy oggy" when steak is replaced with an extra potato, "tiddy" meaning potato and "oggy" meaning pasty and was eaten when times were hard and expensive meat could not be afforded.
Do you eat the crust on a Cornish pasty? ›
The crimped crust on the side was used as a kind of handle. The levels of arsenic in the tin mines meant that the miners hands would be grubby and likely covered in this highly toxic substance. So the miners would hold onto the crust to eat their pastie, and then discard it.
How unhealthy is a Cornish pasty? ›
But what you might not know is just how many calories are in a Cornish pasty. And how other various food groups, healthy or otherwise, match up to that. Apparently a traditional large pasty from the Cornish Pasty Company contains 774 calories and 45g of fat.
What did the miners wives put on the pastry of the Cornish pasties? ›
A miner's wife would carve her husband's initials into his Cornish pasty, so that he was able to distinguish his from all the others (how cute is that!) A good pasty could even survive being dropped down a mine shaft!
Why is a Cornish pasty the shape it is? ›
It is thought that the miners gave the pasty its distinctive D shape too – the crust became a handle, which was discarded to prevent contaminating the food with grubby, possibly arsenic-ridden hands.
What is the slang for a Cornish pasty? ›
The Oggy!, Oggy!, Oggy! is a traditional shout (which stems from 'hoggan') from the miners' wives or pasty sellers; it is a call to say the pasties are ready. In Cornish slang, Oggy is simply a pasty.
