Monday, September 7, 2026

Question: The pasty, a hearty hand-held meat pie, became a beloved staple in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, carried there in the 1800s by the immigrant miners who dug its copper and iron. From which corner of Britain did those miners, and their pasty, originally come?

Answer: Cornwall. Cornish miners brought the pasty to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula along with generations of mining expertise. The hearty pies were taken underground as miners’ meals and became closely associated with the region. More than a century later, the pasty remains a fixture of Upper Peninsula food culture.