Tennessee Chess Pie — The Old Mill (2024)

One of our favorite Tennessee desserts is the chess pie, a true Southern classic. Made with just eggs, butter, and sugar, with the addition of cornmeal and vinegar, this pie was the sweet born out of necessity and scarcity.

People used to bake with what ingredients they had on hand. In parts of the South, and certainly here in the East Tennessee mountains, fresh lemons were too expensive for baking, so homemade vinegar was often substituted for lemon juice.

Chess pie is a little like the buttermilk pie, but without the buttermilk! Anytime thickening was needed in cooking and baking — and a pie like this needs a little thickening — cooks turned to what they had on hand. In these mountains, and across Tennessee, it was cornmeal.

We love to bake chess pie with our freshly stone-ground yellow cornmeal, which adds bright, fresh yellow color and true corn flavor.

Tennessee Chess Pie — The Old Mill (2024)

FAQs

What is the story behind the chess pie? ›

During a time when pecans and other nuts were hard to come by, she made a sugar pie, combining eggs, sugar, flour or cornmeal, butter, and spices or citrus to cut the sweetness. Asked what kind of pie she had made, the woman replied, “Oh it's jes' pie.” And so, supposedly, the name “Chess Pie” was coined.

What pie is Tennessee known for? ›

Tennessee: Bourbon Pecan Pie.

What does chess mean in pie? ›

Another story that points to chess pie's English roots says that English cooks combined spoil-prone ingredients like butter and eggs with sugar to keep them from going bad and used that to create a pie that could be kept unrefrigerated in a chest. “Chest” became “chess,” and the rest is pie history.

Where is chess pie popular? ›

Today chess pie is most commonly associated as a dessert of the American South.

Why is chess pie so good? ›

Chess pie is a decadent combination of butter, sugar, eggs, and milk—and tastes as sweet and custardy as you can imagine! Cornmeal gives the filling a little bit of texture and all of the sugar in the pie bakes to a crispy, caramelized layer on top.

What is the chess scandal? ›

A month later, Chess.com, the game's most popular platform, released a report saying that while there was no concrete evidence showing Niemann had ever cheated in over-the-board play, its algorithmic and statistical analysis said he had “likely cheated in more than 100 online chess games, including several prize money ...

What is Dolly Parton's favorite pie? ›

In her cookbook, Dolly's Dixie Fixin's, the country music legend shared one of her favorite recipes for walnut pie that's very similar to a classic southern pecan pie. It couldn't be any easier to make, and her holiday table is rarely complete without it. Find the recipe for her delicious walnut-studded pie below.

What is the national dessert of Tennessee? ›

Tennessee: Banana Pudding

With that fact alone, we feel that this dessert has rightly earned the title of the official state dessert of Tennessee.

What is the P word in chess? ›

Pawn. The pawn is the least powerful chess piece, but it can be promoted into any other chess piece (except for a king). As Philidor once said, "Pawns are the soul of chess!" Here is what you need to know about pawns: The Pawn How The Pawn Moves How The Pawn Captures And En Passant Promotion Test Conclusion Video...

What's the difference between a chess pie and a buttermilk pie? ›

Though it's not always called upon to thicken the filling, cornmeal is frequently what gives a chess pie it's velvety texture and yellow color. Buttermilk pie, meanwhile, always has buttermilk. More acids, like lemon juice or vinegar, are also frequently added to brighten up the recipe even more.

What's the difference between a chess pie and a custard pie? ›

The major difference in a chess pie from other custard pies is most chess pie recipes call for a small amount of cornmeal (or sometimes flour) to be added to the batter. This step not only helps the pie set, but adds texture as well.

What is the most liked pie in the world? ›

Apple Pie. What it is: Somehow both quintessentially English and American, this may be the most famous pie of all. In Britain it goes back to the 1300s, and the earliest recipe includes figs and raisins. Modern recipes tend to consist of apples, sugar, butter and cinnamon encased in shortcrust pastry.

What's another name for chess pie? ›

Chess pie was originally known as vinegar pie. Yes, I know this will shock people to hear the true tale of their beloved chess pie. In South Georgia it was historically a common pie since sugar cane was grown and processed there and vinegar was a common pantry item.

What is the story behind chess pie? ›

Southerners simply stated "It's jes' pie", which was misinterpreted by others as "chess" pie. Pies were once stored in food chests, and thus were referred to as "chest pie," which later became transformed into "chess pie." Chess pie was allegedly once made with chestnut flour, and again, the name was corrupted.

What is the story behind pie? ›

The Ancient Egyptians created the first example of what we know as pies today. Later on, closer to the 5th Century BC, the Ancient Greeks were believed to invent pie pastry as it is mentioned in the plays of the writer Aristophanes and it was possible to work as a pastry chef in this era, a separate trade to a baker.

What is the idea behind the game of chess? ›

The object of the game is to checkmate the opponent; this occurs when the opponent's king is in check, and there is no legal way to get it out of check. It is never legal for a player to make a move that puts or leaves the player's own king in check.

What is the lore behind chess? ›

Chess, as we know it today, was born out of the Indian game chaturanga before the 600s AD. The game spread throughout Asia and Europe over the coming centuries, and eventually evolved into what we know as chess around the 16th century. One of the first masters of the game was a Spanish priest named Ruy Lopez.

What is the story of the world played chess about? ›

The World Played Chess explores what it means to come of age through tragedy. With the sole intention of financing his summer binge drinking plans, naive and slightly self-centred teenager Vince Bianco takes a job on a construction site alongside Vietnam War veteran William Goodman.

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