Best Savory Pies From Around The World

While the quintessential American pie might be apple, you could make a case that the chicken pot pie shares equal billing to that title. According to Pie Bar, a beloved Georgia institution, the humble pot pie got its start from English settlers. While the British may have preferred steak pies with all the fixings (ale, mushrooms, kidney, etc.), the chicken pie captivated American hearts instead.

Everyone does their pot pie differently, but the chicken stays the same. Most chicken pot pie recipes call for a rich gravy and let you add your favorite vegetables. Top it all off with a buttery crust that begs to be scooped up for the perfect bite, and prepare yourself for this pie to become a favorite hearty meal.

Meat pies are a mainstay of British colonial rule, so it's no surprise that they made their way over to the land down under. While relatively similar to the British version, most Australian meat pie recipes make the pies smaller, so they're handheld rather than big enough to eat with a fork and knife. This makes them particularly well suited to school lunch, cementing their popularity. 

According to G'day Gourmet, the nation eats 270 million pies a year. They top the pies with tomato sauce or ketchup, mashed potatoes, or even mushy peas and cart them to football games, work, or school. Aussies are passionate about their pies, almost extremely. The Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) is an organization part of the Australian government's health department that has actually placed regulations on the definition of this pie. The FSANZ committee states that true Australian meat pies "must contain 25 percent meat flesh" and list any other ingredients contained within the buttery crust on a nutrition label.

A good pastilla marries the sweet and savory with ease. According to National Geographic, this pie was introduced to Morocco by the Moors fleeing Spain, which makes sense, as pastilla stems from the Spanish word for "pastry." A flaky crust made of warqa (or warka, Moroccan brick pastry) or phyllo combines with a traditional filling made of pigeon, onion, eggs, and sometimes tomatoes. 

In modern times and especially outside of Morocco, chicken tends to replace the traditional pigeon filling. According to Atlas Obscura, this likely has to do with the declining use of pigeons in traditional leather making. Additionally, spices like saffron, cinnamon, and paprika make this skillet pie fragrant and decadent. The completed pie is topped with fried almonds and powdered sugar, creating a sweet crust to complement the rich filling. While pastilla recipes are labor-intensive, they're also a work of art and worth making at least once in your culinary journey.

The French are no strangers to pies, and quiche is just one of the delicious options available. Ironically though, quiche Lorraine actually got its start in the medieval German kingdom of Lothringen. According to Atelier Monnier, the French simply enhanced the German kuchen and created the quintessential breakfast. There are endless types of quiche — really, one for every taste — but in its most basic form, a quiche is a baked egg tart with cheese.

Quiche Lorraine is by far the most popular. After all, adding bacon is a quick way to the hearts and stomachs of the masses. For those who prefer a vegetarian or pork-free option, spinach-filled quiche Florentine, sauteed mushroom quiche champignon, and leftover-friendly quiche Provençal are stellar make-ahead meals that can be frozen after baking and then reheated whenever needed.

Bobotie is a South African staple. According to Food for Mzansi, internet debates have broken out over its contested title as the national dish of South Africa. Bobotie is like a shepherd's pie because it doesn't have a crust made of dough. The pie is filled with a curried beef filling mixed with raisins, walnuts, and chutney, creating a beautiful blend of sweet, savory, and sour. 

Bobotie's egg topping takes the place of a top crust or mashed potatoes, and this steamy environment keeps moisture inside the pie. The eggs create a sort of custard on top of the dish and add another layer of texture and flavor to the pie. Are you interested in making bobotie for yourself? Try a traditional bobotie recipe and serve it with spiced yellow rice and a Malaysian chili paste called sambal to add additional heat to the dish.

We might be biased, but pastelitos — especially from hole-in-the-wall Miami bakeries in the early morning hours — are the perfect meal. They come in endless varieties like pastel de carne, con queso, and con maiz. Without fail, these delightful mini hand pies are the ideal pick-me-up. The dough is fried into bubbly pockets, and fillings often walk the line between savory and sweet. 

While a traditional pastel de carne consists of ground beef or steak in a spicy and savory sauce, according to the Maimi New Times, there has been a boom in chefs using creative fillings that mix with traditional flavors. These pies commonly appear at picnics, family gatherings, and workplace meetings around Miami, as well as Cuban and Puerto Rican communities throughout the Americas.

Xian bing is a spiced beef pie hailing from China. There are a few contradicting histories for this delicious pie, with minor changes in each version. However, Taste Atlas describes the pie as a flat dough pancake from Northern China filled with spiced beef and green onions. Several versions exist, and the recipes vary throughout China and the world for this popular street food.

Regardless of any conflicting stories, Movable Feasts unifies these variations with the cooking method. The hand pies are pan-fried until they're fully cooked and golden brown, making them crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. 

The ultimate comfort food for many in the Baltic comes in the form of these yeasty hand pies filled with onions, mushrooms, rice, and meat. Not to be confused with Polish pierogi, pirogi (or piroshki) is the Russian term for "feast cakes" (via Babble). They are popular throughout Russia and its bordering countries and have also been introduced to central Asia through immigration. 

While sweet fillings like apples, berry jams, and fresh cheeses are popular, piroshki are often filled with fatback, carrots, and eggs and enjoyed as savory lunches. You can even make smaller versions and serve them alongside soups. For those looking to try these delicious pies at home, this classic piroshki recipe from Anya Von Bremzen, author of "Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking," is stuffed with cabbage and onions. 

The country of Georgia is famous for its open-faced cheese tart. Khachapuri has taken the internet by storm, and the pie's popularity only continues to grow as more people discover the perfect marriage between buttery cheese, chewy crust, and jammy egg yolks rolled into one. The national dish of Georgia boasts a pillowy yeast dough that's folded around fresh cheeses. 

Georgians will usually use a soft local cheese like sulguni, which is a brined cheese similar to mozzarella. However, according to Culture Cheese Magazine, American chefs looking to make khachapuri at home may have to settle for a blend of feta, mozzarella, and havarti to get the perfect flavor and texture.

Bourekas, borekas, borek, there's a name for everyone when it comes to these beloved Israeli pies. Found throughout countries like Jordan, Turkey, and Iran, bourekas come in an abundance of shapes and flavors. While commonly eaten by Sephardi Jews, according to Taste of Jewish Culture, these delicious hand pies have found themselves enjoyed by people from a variety of cultures and countries. 

This universal love of these baked or fried pies filled with meat, cheese, and vegetables has led to a bit of controversy over the years. According to The Times of Israel, the rabbinate actually had to get involved, defining a set shape for each boureka filling in order to help separate dairy from nondairy options. The decision was made that square puff pastry is used for nondairy pies, while triangular puff pastry indicates pies that include dairy.

Soparnik is a Croatian delicacy specifically originating in the Split Riviera. The pie actually received a protected geographical indication from the European Union in 2016 (via European Commission), which is similar to an AOP awarded to French wines made in specific areas with strict regulations. This pie closely resembles a flatbread, with chard, garlic, and onions spread between thin layers of dough that are stretched to fit a special board called a sinije. 

The pie is then grilled over the coals of a fire, resulting in a beautifully charred crust that's rubbed with garlic before it's sliced into diamonds after cooling slightly. Soparnik is now considered a holiday dish, served at weddings and Christmas, but it's often used as a reminder of the people's strength against past invaders. It's celebrated annually at the festival of soparnik, which takes place in the town of Dugi Rat near Omiš, Croatia.

Where would we be without American invention? We'd likely be without the strange amalgamation of flavors and cultures found in spaghetti pie. It's a vintage recipe, a sort of concoction that could only be found in the '70s as a way to make leftovers stretch or feed an army. Found on the February cover of Better Homes and Gardens in 1974 (via Click Americana), spaghetti pie is a surprisingly delicious-looking vintage stunner. 

While it's hard to know exactly where spaghetti pie originated, one thing is for sure: it bears a striking resemblance to an Italian omelet by the name of la frittata di pasta. With the spaghetti omelet born from Neapolitan poverty, it's not surprising that American Italians would bring something similar to the U.S. when they immigrated. 

Either way, spaghetti pie is an instant crowd-pleaser that can be adjusted to fit any preference. For instance, Gail Simmons' spaghetti pie recipe contains broccoli, Italian sausage, and a pound of cheese with fresh sage.

While jokes have been made about British food for years, the infamous stargazy pie might make some take good-humored jests to heart. Beneath the smiling faces of sardines or pilchards is a Cornish delicacy rooted in tradition and history. Stargazy pie is a local Christmas tradition in the Cornish fishing village of Mousehole, where indomitable bakers start this pie on December 23rd. 

According to local legend, fisherman Tom Bawcock is the inspiration behind stargazy pie, as he bravely sailed out into a storm to catch the fish that his starving village needed to survive a famine. When he returned, he baked the fish into a pie to share with the rest of Mousehole, and the holiday tradition was born to honor him. 

Vice states that recipes often call for shredded hard-boiled eggs, parsley, onions, and butter. Regardless of the filling on the inside, this savory pie has a sweet story that can inspire bravery in us all. That is, of course, if you're willing to eat it.