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
Pork pie filling of layers of pork loin and apple, slightly sweetened with sugar, and filled with half a pint of white wine. By the 19th century sweetened fruit and meat combinations had become less common, and the raised crust pork pie took its modern form. Traditional pies use a mix of fat and cured meat, giving the filling a pink colour. They are often produced in moulds or forms, giving the outside of the pie a very regular shape. This method is simpler and cheaper for volume production, and hence the more common choice for commercial manufacturers. As the meat shrinks