Oggy Oscars
Cornish pasties have PGI status (protected geographical indication) due to their special links with the area.
Taking pasty on to a ship is bad luck! Cornish fisherman believe having one on board brings bad tidings.
Some say the traditional Cornish pasty crust should be tough enough to drop down a deep mine shaft and not fall apart.
Just like people, pasties are also right or lefthanded. Those with crimps finished on the left are “cock pasties” and those finished on the left are “hen”.
Shakespeare is said to have indulged, while Henry VIII’s third wife,
Jane Seymour, is also thought to have been a pasty fan.
Hollywood actor Nicolas Cage is also fond of the meaty treats. He said he used to eat them as a child because a British-style pub in Santa Monica, California, used to make them, so he’d take them to school for his lunch.
The “Oggie, oggie, oggie” chant heard at rugby games came from the Cornish pasty.
According to legend, pasty sellers would yell “Oggie, Oggie, Oggi” at the top of the mine shaft, and the miners would shout “Oi, oi, oi” back to signal that they wanted a Cornish pasty to be thrown down at them.
The heritage surrounding them is celebrated in Cornwall every February.
A week of events is held, culminating in a World Pasty Championship, also known as the Oggy Oscars.
A giant pasty is paraded from Polruan to Fowey at the summer regatta.
At the Oggy Oscars, 40 judges were tasked with assessing almost 200 pasties entered across company, professional, amateur and junior categories.
They were divided into two sections – one for a traditional recipe and the second for creative fillings.
Pasties have their roots in Cornwall, but another country loves them too. When the mines closed in the early 19th Century, many Cornish folk looking for work went to Mexico, where they adopted the pastries as a local delicacy.