The Peru Gazette

Homily, Rev. William Reamer, St. Augustine’s Church, Peru, NY, 8 a.m. Mass, July 4, 2025 

As American as apple pie, we say proudly. Apple pie is what we’re all about-it’s the symbol of American bounty and prosperity. But, in reality, there’s nothing at all American about apple pie.

In her book, The American Plate: A Culinary History in 100 Bites, Libby O’Connell writes that there is not one ingredient in apple pie that originates in what we call the USA.

The original saying “As American As Apple Pie,” we say proudly. Apple pie is what we’re all about. It’s the symbol of an adaptation of a British pastry dish that was adapted using bruised apples instead of pricier ones. The crusts are much lighter and flakier than the British original, more like the strudels made by German immigrants.

Wheat was first cultivated in the Middle East 9,000 years ago. The first English colonists in America could not get it to grow here, and so they turned to native corn. Russian immigrants in the late 1800’s finally managed to cultivate a strain of wheat successfully in North America.

Lard and butter came to America via Christopher Columbus’ second voyage in 1493 when he brought pigs and cattle, the source of all things dairy. Columbus also brought sugar and spices to the New World. Sugar originated from the Near East 4,000 years ago; cinnamon comes from a variety of evergreen tree native to Sri Lanka. Nutmeg and cloves are indigenous to Indonesia.

Even sweet, juicy apples themselves are not native to America but were brought over from Europe, as well. Sour crab apples are theAmerican version. And, yes, Johnny “Appleseed” Chapman did, in fact, plant apple orchards across the USA.

So what’s so “American” about apple pie? That America can take so many different ingredients and create something good. Our country is a meeting place where the gifts and graces of different peoples and cultures can come together to create such unique wonders as democracy’s respect for all races and people, liberty and justice for all men and women, the encouragement of individual initiative, and a commitment to the common good.

And apple pie. On this celebration of the founding of our nation, may we ask God to continue to bless this country with both the goodness of creation and the grace of his kingdom to continue to make and share “apple pie” that is worthy of us as a nation.