Cornwall is the English county most closely associated with the traditional Cornish pasty.
A Cornish pasty is a baked pastry filled traditionally with beef, potato, swede, and onion. The filling is enclosed in a folded pastry case, with a distinctive crimped edge. The pasty’s compact shape made it practical food for workers, especially miners who needed a portable meal.
Cornwall’s mining heritage is central to the pasty’s cultural history. The thick crimped edge could be held with dirty hands and discarded, although the idea that miners always used it in exactly this way is often simplified in popular accounts.
The name “Cornish pasty” has protected geographical status in the United Kingdom and European food-protection systems. To use the protected name, production and ingredients must meet specified requirements. Pasties made elsewhere may resemble the dish without qualifying as Cornish pasties.