Natchitoches meat pie empanada. Varieties are found throughout the colonies of the Spanish Empire. The Natchitoches meat pie is nearly identical to the traditional ground beef empanada of Argentina, Empanada de Carne. The meat pie is found all throughout Louisiana, including southern Louisiana which tends to have a spicier version compared to its northern counterpart, but its origins are found to be from Northern Louisiana. Although found in Greater New Orleans today, "The Picayune's Creole Cook Book" published in 1901 by "The Times Picayune" of New Orleans does not contain a recipe for a Natchitoches style meat pie in its list of over
Meat pie of meats, oysters, mussels, lampreys, and fish as filling and a mixture of flour, oil, and water for the crust. This 'pastry' cover was not meant to be eaten and was thrown away. In Northern Europe, cooks created the pastry using fats like lard and butter to make stiff dough to hold an upright pie. These medieval pastry dishes were called "coffins/coffyns", which means a basket or box. According to Janet Clarkson in "Pie: A Global History", the "coffins" were: Some historians suggest the tough, almost inedible, crust was given to the servants while the lords and ladies of the