Cheesy Savory Pie

Whenever I make a savory pie, people usually ask “is that, like,… a quiche?” It’s happened often enough that, in footsteps of the great “Is hotdog a sandwich” debate, I’m compelled to ask “Is quiche a pie?”

Shall we begin?

First we must define “pie”. Since I like to experiment, I’ll go with something as broad as “some sort of a dough with some sort of a filling.” I’ll keep the top crust out of it, since crumbles and lattices … I don’t have time to get into it.

Leaving out fruit and cream pies for obvious reasons, let’s see how my definition holds up, starting with the key question at hand:

Is quiche a pie? I’m going with a definitive yes. It’s a shortcrust dough with infinite number of veggies, cheeses, and egg combos. And perhaps its versatility is the reason a quiche is so hard to resist. At least for me.

Let’s continue.

Tart? Definitely a pie. It fits the definition. Don’t question it.

How about pizza? Definitely. It literally means “pie”, so case closed. And now you know that “pizza pie” is redundant and can drop that little piece of knowledge next time you’re inspired to belt out “When a moon hits your eye…”

What about all the crostatas and the flat breads? Although fitting with the definition, it’s very hard to justify their flatness. I’m going with a no.

Is pita-pizza a pie by extension? That’s a tough one… my gut says no, partly because my tummy isn’t as happy ingesting a pita-pizza – it’s kind of a fake pizza, amiright? The pita is a great thing in its own right, and it’s more of a flatbread (see above).

Does the filling need to be defined? Perhaps. But that’s for another time.