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1930-1945 - American home cooks during the Great Depression and World War II.
Water Pie is a simple custard-style dessert made with water, sugar, flour, and butter, popular during the Great Depression when ingredients were scarce. This pie exemplifies the resourcefulness and creativity of American cooks who made satisfying sweets with minimal pantry staples during economic hardship.
Difficulty
Easy
Prep time
15 minutes
Cook time
40 minutes
Total time
55 minutes
Servings
6
Region
United States
Era introduced
1930-1945
Introduced by
American home cooks during the Great Depression and World War II.
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Water Pie emerged during the 1930s and 1940s as an economical dessert crafted in Depression and wartime kitchens when rationing and scarcity limited access to typical baking ingredients. By using water as a custard base thickened with flour and enriched with butter and sugar, homemakers created a modest but comforting pie highlighting ingenuity in times of hardship, reflecting the resilience of American home cooking during economic struggle.
Based on Depression-era home recipes collected from historical cookbooks; may vary regionally.
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