We make a point to sample local cuisine when we travel and when it came to the U.P. that mean sampling the iconic Yooper pasty.
The pasty - pronounced “pas-tee” - is a meat pot pie without the pot, an empanada on steroids. It is...a baked pastry made by filling a shortbread pastry with uncooked filling traditionally consisting of meat, potatoes, onions, carrots and maybe rutabaga. One side of the pie crust would be crimped to form a thick, sturdy edge. This edge was where the miner would hold the pasty when eating it. He would not eat this crust, rather leaving it behind in the mine for the ghosts they believed inhabited the mines; besides, their unwashed hands would have left a lot of grime on that crust.
The pasty made its way to the UP by way of the tin mines of Cornwall in the southwest of England - documented as far back as the 1100s! - where the miners would carry one of these pies deep underground to eat. Typically the pasty featured more vegetables than meat given that the latter was more expensive and harder to come by. The tradition of the Cornish Pasty was brought in by the immigrants from Cornwall who came to work the iron and copper mines in the UP. Other immigrants, notably the Finns and Italians, adopted this particular dish. Of course the protein was never limited to beef alone with poultry and fish being alternatives. The pasty has become firmly entrenched in the UP lore and even in the state of Michigan with May 24th designated the Michigan Pasty Day.
While we have had more than our fair share of empanadas, we had never had a pasty before and so had no preconceptions of what to expect. Muldoon’s had been frequently listed among the best places to sample this simple yet iconic dish and so we had to check it out. There was only one customer ahead of us at this small establishment; there was very limited indoor dining. Fortunately the weather was good and there was fair amount of outdoor dining space. We ordered the chicken, beef, and apple pasties. We were given separate containers of beef and chicken sauce for the respective pasties. Service was friendly and brisk. These were substantial pastries, filling and fueling us for a day of hiking. Obviously pasties are no longer being made for miners which may explain why the crimped side of the pasty seemed to be a difficulty handle for someone to grip when eating these. We had no point of comparison to comment on the relative quality of these pasties. The crust was sturdy. The filling was tasty but light on the proteins. The chicken pasty had the stronger flavor. And did I mention that these were very filling?
The beef pasty was the “Traditional” offering. In addition to chicken the only other savory option was the vegetarian.
We found a table on the porch facing West Munising Avenue and the wooded hillside. There were 2 small roofed pavilions either side of the building providing additional outdoor dining areas.More
