Key lime pie

Lore & Background

Key lime pie is probably derived from the 'Magic Lemon Cream Pie' published in a promotional brochure by Borden in 1931. The recipe is attributed to Borden's fictional spokesperson, Jane Ellison, and includes condensed milk, lemon juice and rind, and egg yolks. According to pastry chef Stella Parks, users of the recipe altered it with local ingredients; she describes it as 'a stunning reminder of how deeply America's traditions are shaped by advertising.' In the 1980s, food writer John Egerton dated the presence of key lime pie in the Florida Keys to at least the 1890s, a dating author Jean Anderson characterized as credible due to nature of refrigeration standards of the time.

A 'Tropical Lime Chiffon Pie', using condensed milk and egg yolks, was documented in a 1933 Miami newspaper article. An 'icebox lime pie' was mentioned as a specialty of the Florida Keys in 1935, and a recipe under the name 'Key Lime Pie' was published in 1940. No earlier solid sources are known, despite appeals to the public. A 1927 Key West Women's Club cookbook does not mention the recipe. A 1926 restaurant menu includes 'lime pie', but it is unclear what it was. A widely reported story claims that William Curry's cook Aunt Sally invented it in the late 19th century, but there is no evidence for this, and the oldest version of this story dates to only 1995, in promotional materials for a Bed and Breakfast in Curry's former house.

Reader's Guide

Key lime pie's significance lies in its status as a regional American dessert tied to the Florida Keys and its history of adaptation from a commercial recipe. The pie's filling is made similarly to a Magic Lemon cream pie, by mixing the ingredients without cooking: the proteins of the egg yolks and condensed milk and the acidic lime juice curdle, thickening the mixture without baking. The pies are usually baked to pasteurize the eggs and thicken the filling further. It was in the 1950s that Key lime pie was promoted as Florida's 'most famous treat' and in 1987 as 'the greatest of all regional American desserts.' Florida State Representative Bernie Papy Jr. is said to have introduced geographical indication legislation in 1965 calling for a $100 fine to be levied against anyone advertising Key lime pie not made with Key limes; the bill failed. Florida statute 15.052, passed in July 2006, designates Key lime pie 'the official Florida state pie.' Key limes have not been grown commercially in the U.S. since the 1926 Miami hurricane, and are generally imported from Central or South America.

Did You Know?

• Key lime pie is named after the small Key limes, which are more aromatic than common Persian limes and have yellow juice.
• The filling thickens without baking because the proteins of egg yolks and condensed milk curdle when mixed with acidic lime juice.
• A 1926 restaurant menu includes 'lime pie', but it is unclear what it was.
• Key limes have not been grown commercially in the U.S. since the 1926 Miami hurricane.