The History Of The Shoofly Pie Is As Fun As Its Name

Part crumb cake and coffee cake, part treacle tart, and part pie with a rich molasses filling, shoofly pie (also spelled shoo-fly, shoo fly, and even shoe-fly) is a unique pie and staple of Pennsylvania Dutch country, where it likely first developed. It was believed to have been derived from the centennial cake, created to mark the centennial of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, but with the addition of a pie crust to make it easier to eat without plates and silverware — originally a popular breakfast dish, it was typically enjoyed with (or dunked in) a hot cup of coffee, though these days it's also served as a dessert.

With a name like shoo fly, you would think that flies would have something to do with it. Based on one theory of how the unusual name came about, they did in a way: According to author Patricia Brunning Stevens, as the pies cooled, pools of molasses would form, which would attract flies that the pies' bakers would then have to shoo away. However, since it was also believed that these pies were frequently made in the winter (since they didn't require eggs and other perishable items), it's not clear where all the flies would have come from.