The history of humble pie

Vincento Campi

Making Pies in the Kitchen 

1580

In the 14th century, the numbles (noumbles, nomblys, noubles) referred to what we now call offal-- the heart, liver, entrails etc. of animals.  The word numbles became "umble," used to make pies of lesser value than those cooked with costly fresh meat.  This was long before "head to tail" eating became fashionable. So the poor would often eat "umble" pie. 

There's been plenty of post-election humble pie passed around.  In fact, this might be the end of standard political polling, an enormous and lucrative industry in America.  Perhaps not a bad thing.

Hey it's cold in Seattle. Check out the ingredients in this old stick-to-your-ribs, cholesterol bomb of a pie.

Meatless Mince Pie
From: The Accomplish'd Lady's Delight In Preserving, Physick, Beautifying, and Cookery, Hannah Woolley; 1675
 
To make an Egg-Pye, or Mince-Pye of Eggs:
 
Take the Yolks of two dozen of Eggs hard boyled, shred them, take the same quantity of Beef-Suet, half a pound of Pippins, a pound of Currans well washt, and dry'd, half a pound of Sugar, a penny-worth of beaten Spice, a few Carraway-Seeds, a little Candyed Orange-peel shred, a little Verjuice and Rosewater; fill the Coffin, and bake it with gentle heat