What is a Pie Bird?
Ok, so I will admit I had never heard of a Pie Bird until Alton Brown mentioned them on his show Good Eats. I had never heard of such a thing, but thanks to Alton and his awesome show I learned something new! I did a little research on Pie Birds and this is what I found out. . . A pie bird, (pie vent, pie whistle, pie funnel, or pie chimney) is a hollow ceramic device, traditionally from Europe and shaped like a bird. Pie birds are “steam vents” that have been placed in the center of fruit and meat pies (while cooking) since Victorian Times. Pie funnels were used in baking pies and prevent the pie from boiling over in the oven by allowing the steam created when the fruit filling or other contents are cooking to escape from inside the pie. They also supported the pastry crust in the center of the pie, so that it did not sag in the middle, and are hence also known as “crustholders.” The nursery rhyme Sing a Song of Sixpence refers to “Four and twenty blackbirds, baked in a pie; when the
