Vegetarian & Vegan Pie Crusts for Historical Recipes: A Practical Guide

 Vegetarian & Vegan Pie Crusts for Historical Recipes: A Practical Guide

Whether you're preparing a Lenten feast, accommodating modern dietary restrictions, or simply looking for a period-adjacent alternative to lard and suet, this guide offers reliable crust options for historical pies and tarts. While medieval and early modern sources often rely on animal fat for pastry coffins, cooks would have adapted as needed—especially on no-flesh days. These vegetarian and vegan-friendly options draw inspiration from that adaptability while meeting modern expectations for taste, texture, and practicality.

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🕯️ Pastry in Period: What the Sources Say

In medieval and Renaissance cookery, the pie crust—often referred to as a "coffin"—served multiple roles: cooking vessel, storage container, and edible wrapping. Crusts could be thick and structural (especially for meat pies), or more refined and flaky for sweet dishes and subtlety presentations.

While many crusts were made using lard, suet, or animal drippings, there are examples of simpler pastes using oil, butter, or no fat at all—especially in dishes served during Lent or on Fridays, when meat (and by extension, animal products) was restricted. Butter-based pastes are more common in late period and early printed cookbooks, such as Robert May’s The Accomplisht Cook (1660).

Unfortunately, few cookbooks from the SCA period (pre-1600) offer detailed pastry ratios. Recipes tend to say things like “make paste of fine flour and water” or “take butter and yolks to make a tender crust.” This vagueness gives us flexibility—but also calls for informed interpretation.

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🥧 Option 1: Ovo-Lacto Vegetarian Pie Paste

Suitable for late period recipes, meatless feasts, and sweet or savory pies.

Ingredients:

• 2½ cups flour (unbleached all-purpose or a blend with spelt for a nuttier flavor)

• ½ tsp salt

• ½ cup cold butter, cut into cubes

• ¼–½ cup cold water

• Optional: 1 tsp cider vinegar or rosewater/orange flower water for structure and aroma

Method:

1. Mix flour and salt in a bowl.

2. Cut in cold butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

3. Slowly add water (and optional flavoring) until dough comes together.

4. Chill for 30 minutes before rolling out.

Notes:

• This crust bakes to a tender, slightly flaky finish.

• Ideal for fruit pies, herb tarts, and vegetarian coffins.

• Can be egg-enriched (common in late Tudor and early Stuart crusts).

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🌱 Option 2: Vegan-Friendly Oil-Based Crust

Inspired by fasting-day pastes and Mediterranean-style doughs.

Ingredients:

• 2½ cups flour

• ½ tsp salt

• ½ cup neutral oil (sunflower, light olive oil, or refined coconut oil)

• ¼–½ cup cold water

Method:

1. Combine flour and salt in a large bowl.

2. Add oil and stir until evenly coated.

3. Gradually add water until the dough just comes together.

4. Form into a ball, wrap, and chill before use.

Notes:

• Produces a firm, short pastry—excellent for hand pies or savory coffins.

• Less flaky than butter crusts but still satisfying and historically plausible.

• Can be flavored with herbs, wine, or citrus zest.

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🧾 When to Use These Crusts

Use these pastry options when:

• You’re serving a Friday or Lenten menu

• Cooking for vegetarians or vegans at an SCA event

• Making fruit pies, greens tarts, or dairy-based fillings without meat

• Looking for a make-ahead crust that holds well at room temperature

These crusts are particularly well-suited to dishes like:

• Fridayes Pye

• Fruit or nut tarts

• Cheese and herb galettes

• Root vegetable pies or savory Lenten coffins

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🧁 Sample Recipes & Pairings

These crusts work beautifully in a wide range of dishes. Here are a few examples where you can put them to delicious use:

• Medieval Dessert Trio of Tarts: Apple, cherry, and almond tarts ideal for a final course or sweet subtlety.

• Fridayes Pye: A no-flesh tart with apples, greens, and raisins—a perfect Friday or Lent-friendly offering.

• To Make a Peasecod Dish in Puff Paste Two Ways: A sweet almond-based pastry dish, styled like peasecods—perfect for recreating late period subtleties or dessert courses.

🏺 Period-Inspired Flavor Variations

If you'd like to add a little extra flair that feels appropriate to the time:

• Use orange flower water or rosewater in place of some water

• Blend in a little ground almond for richer pastes

• Sprinkle the crust with sugar and cinnamon for fruit pies

• Add saffron-infused water for a golden hue

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Pork Pie with Mustard – William Rabisha (1682)

Pork Pie with Mustard – William Rabisha (1682)

This hearty, spice-layered pork pie was served at the Collegium Lunch Fundraiser Tavern in 2016 as the primary meat offering. Designed for easy transport, room-temperature service, and strong period flavor, this pie drew inspiration from The Whole Body of Cookery Dissected by William Rabisha (1682). Though technically outside the pre-1600 SCA period, Rabisha’s work reflects culinary techniques and seasonings in use during the Elizabethan and early Stuart period—and is commonly used by feast cooks for "late period" interpretations.

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Original Recipe (Historical Source)

“Take a Loin of Pork and bone it, and cut thereof into thin collops beaten with the clever... season your Pork with pepper, salt, and minces sage... season your Veal with cloves, mace, nutmeg and minced Thyme... then a laying of pork... and then a laying of your veal... so continue... beat it well into a body, put it in your coffin... bake it: when it is cold, fill it with clarified butter.”
— William Rabisha, The Whole Body of Cookery Dissected (1682)

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Modern Interpretation

Yields one 9-inch double crust pie

Ingredients:

• 1 lb pork loin, boned and trimmed of fat

• 2 egg yolks

• 1/8 tsp pepper

• 1/2 tsp salt (divided)

• 1/4 tsp sage

• 1/4 tsp thyme

• 1/8 tsp mace

• 1/4 tsp nutmeg

• 1/8 tsp ground cloves

• 3 tbsp butter, diced

• 2 pie shells (top and bottom crusts)

Instructions:

1. Slice the pork as thinly as possible.

2. Mix half the pork with pepper, sage, thyme, 1 egg yolk, and 1/4 tsp salt.

3. Mix the remaining pork with mace, nutmeg, cloves, 1 egg yolk, and 1/4 tsp salt.

4. Layer seasoned pork into the pie shell, alternating between the two mixtures.

5. Dot each layer with butter.

6. Seal the pie with the top crust, crimp edges, and vent.

7. Bake at 450°F for 20 minutes, then reduce heat to 350°F and bake an additional 25 minutes.

8. Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled. Do not refrigerate if you’re aiming for period presentation.

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Serving & Sauce Notes

This pork pie was served with mustard—a classic pairing in both period and modern service. Choose stone-ground, whole grain, or period-inspired must sauces. A sweet-and-sharp balance pairs beautifully with the warm spices in the pie.

For historical flair, explore “To Make Mustard Divers Ways”, which includes several period options, including preparations with vinegar, ale, and spices. These make excellent accompaniments to late-period pies or tavern fare. This pork pie was served with mustard—a classic pairing in both period and modern service. Choose stone-ground, whole grain, or period-inspired must sauces. A sweet-and-sharp balance pairs beautifully with the warm spices in the pie.

Vegetarian Alternative – Fridayes Pye (c. 1615)
If you’re feeding a mixed crowd or observing a meatless Friday, consider pairing the pork pie with a vegetable-based option. A Fridayes Pye, also attributed to early 17th-century English sources, uses greens or beets, apples, currants, and ginger for a sweet-savory blend that bakes beautifully in a single crust. It offers a flexible meat-free addition for dayboards or taverns.

Need a Meat-Free Pastry?
For vegetarian pies like A Fridayes Pye, try a butter-based or vegan crust suitable for Lent or no-flesh days. See below for options.

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Bonus Recipe: Vegetarian & Vegan Pie Crust Options

Ovo-Lacto Vegetarian Crust:

• 2 ½ cups flour

• ½ tsp salt

• ½ cup cold butter, diced

• ¼–½ cup cold water

• Optional: 1 tsp vinegar or orange flower water

Cut butter into flour and salt, add water gradually, and chill before rolling. Suitable for both savory and sweet pies.

Vegan-Friendly Crust (Modern Adaptation):

• 2 ½ cups flour

• ½ tsp salt

• ½ cup refined coconut oil or vegan butter substitute (cold)

• ¼–½ cup ice water

Mix as above. This crust mimics period fasting-day pastes while meeting modern dietary needs.

Historical Note: While vegan diets weren’t defined in period, oil-based crusts were used during Lent and no-flesh days. These adaptations maintain historical intent with modern clarity.

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Historical and SCA Notes

While Rabisha’s work dates to 1682—technically post-period for SCA documentation—it captures pre-Civil War culinary practices, including layering meats, seasoning with spice blends, and enclosing pies in coffins for preservation. Many cooks use Rabisha’s recipes when looking for transitional or late-period English fare that bridges into the 17th century.

Looking for a fully period alternative?

Pork pies of similar construction appear earlier, notably in A Book of Cookrye (1591), which includes a Gammon of Bacon recipe using layered pork or bacon, spices, and pastry coffins. This version is solidly within SCA period and makes an excellent substitute if documentation is a concern.