Cornish hevva cake, pasties and stargazy pie: a look at some of the Southwest’s most iconic traditional dishes

 Photo by Darren Welsh on Unsplash 

Cornwall is known by many for its dramatic cliffs and sprawling sandy beaches, but what few people outside of the county get to experience is the powerful identity of the area that’s rooted in hundreds of years of history. Its mining and maritime heritage have inspired a culture of people who love the land – a rendition of “Cornwall My Home” performed in a local pub packs enough punch to leave even the most impervious visitors deeply moved and charmed.

When it comes to food, Cornwall’s dishes are also influenced by the cultural identity of past generations. There’s hevva cake, enjoyed on St Piran’s Day, stargazy pie, served on Tom Bawcock’s Eve, and pasties enjoyed any time, any place (once a daily staple of a tin miner’s diet). These traditional dishes mean far more than just a delicious meal.

Hevva cake

Gwikor Frank, Tesenhevva, CC BY-SA 4.0

This crumbly teacake is usually made from a mixture of flour, butter, lard, sugar and dried fruit. It’s a traditionally frugal dish, but one that’s sweet, comforting, and enjoyed throughout Cornwall.

Hevva cake was traditionally made by fishermen’s wives to welcome their husbands home from a successful fishing trip. Hevva is also known as “heavy” cake, but despite its namesake, it’s more dense than weighty. In fact, hevva is derived from the Cornish “hes va”, which doesn’t mean “heavy” at all. It loosely translates to “there’s a shoal here” – a call that the fishermen’s wives would once listen out for as a sign that it was time to start baking the dish.

If you’re visiting Cornwall during spring, it’s worth enjoying the St Piran’s Day festivities on March 5th, when hevva cake is traditionally served. You’ll also find live music, parades, and a number of other culinary treats if you get involved in the celebrations.

Stargazy pie

Kernow Skies, Stary gazy pie, CC BY-SA 3.0

Stargazy pie looks rather more impressive than any pie you’ll have seen before. The dish, which originates from the small fishing village of Mousehole, consists of pilchers or sardines which are baked in a pastry crust. It’s presented with the fish heads and tails popping out of the top of the pie, as if they were gazing at the stars.

The dish was created to commemorate Tom Bawcock, a 16th-century fisherman who braved stormy seas to catch enough fish for a huge pie, which ultimately saved his village from starvation. Tom Bawcock’s Eve is celebrated annually on the 23rd of December. In addition to sampling the famous pie, you’ll get to enjoy music and a colourful lantern procession if you happen to be visiting Mousehole at this time of year.

Cornish pasty

Image by Sylwester Lukaszonek from Pixabay

Then, of course, there’s the Cornish pasty, one of the most well-known symbols of Cornish culture.

Once reserved for the upper classes and filled with a variety of rich meats, fish, gravy and even fruit, the Cornish pasty was later adopted by the working classes in the 17th and 18th centuries – mainly farm workers and miners – and evolved to consist mainly of vegetables as a result. The thick, crimped crust that many of us savour today as the best bit of the dish once served a very practical purpose, allowing miners to hold their pasties without contaminating the part to be eaten with arsenic from the mines.

Today, you’ll find shops and cafés selling pasties almost everywhere you go in Cornwall. This hearty snack is something every foodie should treat themselves to upon stepping foot in the county. With meat, fish, vegetarian, and plant-based versions to choose from, nobody misses out.

Take a look at Skyscanner’s food trends and travel data and you’ll see just how great an influence our appetites can have on the places we choose to explore. There are new dishes to be discovered around every corner, no matter where you are in the world – many of them with impressive stories to tell. Sample these Cornish favourites and you’ll gain a deeper understanding of the history, culture and passion of the county’s people.