The Upper Peninsula is defined by a hard-working class of men and women who logged, mined, and farmed Michigan’s wilderness and resources. They were – and are – as much a part of the land as the natural resources they made their living on. Out of these folks came a defining cultural food: the pasty.
What used to be ethnic food – its origin is attributed to miners from Cornwall, England – became regionally defining over the decades as the many cultural groups in the UP worked together and eventually blended. But you’ll find that each pasty shop today has its own bend on things, similar to how each nationality – Polish, Finnish, Swedish, Irish, etc. – made the pasty their own back in the day.
Quite simply, a pasty is a meat pie pastry or handheld pot pie. And when fall and winter roll around, there’s nothing more comforting or filling than enjoying one of these for a meal.
The pasty is typically a combination of meat and diced vegetables, steam cooked in a flaky pastry crust. Wives would wrap hot pasties in newspaper to send along with their husbands for lunch. If it got cold, it was easy to warm up. The pasties were easy to eat and able to fill a grown man’s stomach.
Traditional varieties were diced beef, ground beef, chicken or turkey, or vegetarian. The vegetables are typically white potatoes, rutabagas, and onions. In addition to these traditional combinations, some pasty shops innovate and push the envelope, creating new flavors and mixtures.
Where to Go
This is by no means an exhaustive list, but through research and looking at the recommendations of others, these pasty shops are definitely worth visiting. Most of them are in the Upper Peninsula – no surprise – but there are a few places in Lower Michigan.
- Mr. Foisie’s Pasties, Cadillac
- Jean Kay’s Pasties and Subs, Marquette
- Lehto’s, St. Ignace
- Barb’s Pasties, Clawson
- Muldoon’s, Munising
- Albies Pasties, Gaylord
- Colonel K’s Pasty Shop, Menominee
- Cousin Jenny’s Cornish Pasties, Traverse City
- Lawry’s Pasty Shop, Ishpeming
- Marquee Marque Pasties, Clinton Township
- Mary’s Country Kitchen, Laurium
- The Pasty Oven, Quinnesec
- Mackinac Pastie & Cookie Co., Mackinac City
- Irontown Pasties, Negaunee
Make Your Own Pasty
You can find hundreds of pasty recipes to try. Here’s a basic one to get you started, and then you can branch out on your own! This particular recipe makes six pasties.
Ingredients
Crust
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup shortening
Pinch of Kosher salt
1 cup ice cold water
Filling
8 ounces ground beef (1/2 pound)
4 ounces rutabaga, diced
1 medium carrot, diced
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 small russet potato, peeled and diced
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
Black pepper
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- Mix the flour and salt together until blended. Cut in the shortening (or butter if you prefer) until combined. This will resemble small crumbles. Mix in the ice cold water a little bit at a time, mixing as you go. Knead with your hands either in the bowl or on a floured countertop until smooth and elastic. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate until you’re ready to roll out.
- Dice vegetables. Mix together the vegetables with the ground beef, and sprinkle with salt and pepper and fresh parsley.
- Cut the dough into six pieces and form into balls. On a floured surface, roll out each ball into an 8-inch circle.
- Add filling to one half of the circle. Fold the dough over the mixture and crimp the edges with a fork. Slice three small slits on top of each pocket.
- Brush the pasties with egg prior to baking.
- Place pasties on a baking sheet and bake until the crust is golden brown and flaky, about 1 hour, 15 minutes.
- Enjoy with gravy or ketchup!