Whoopie pie

Whoopie pie
Alternative names Black moon, gob, black-and-white, bob, BFO, Big Fat Oreo
Type Cookie, pie, or cake
Place of origin USA
Region or state Contested
Main ingredients Chocolate, pumpkin or gingerbread cake; icing or Marshmallow creme
Cookbook: Whoopie pie  Media: Whoopie pie

The whoopie pie (alternatively called a black moon, gob [term indigenous to the Pittsburgh region], black-and-white, bob, or "BFO" for Big Fat Oreo [also recorded as "Devil Dogs" and "Twins" in 1835[1]]) is a US baked product that may be considered either a cookie, pie or cake. It is made of two round mound-shaped pieces of chocolate cake, or sometimes pumpkin or gingerbread cake, with a sweet, creamy filling or frosting sandwiched between them.[2]

History

While considered a New England classic and a Pennsylvania Amish tradition,[3] they are increasingly sold throughout the United States.[2]

The whoopie pie is the official state treat of Maine[4] (not to be confused with the official state dessert, which is blueberry pie).[4]

The world's largest whoopie pie was created in South Portland, Maine, on March 26, 2011, weighing in at 1,062 pounds.[5] Pieces of the giant whoopie pie were sold and the money was used to send Maine-made whoopie pies to soldiers serving overseas.[5] The previous record holder, from Pennsylvania, weighed 200 pounds.[5]

The town of Dover-Foxcroft, in Piscataquis County, Maine, has hosted the Maine Whoopie Pie Festival since 2009. In 2014, more than 7,500 people attended the festival.[6] The 2013 festival had eight different whoopie pie vendors in attendance. Bakers from across Maine compete for top whoopie pie in a number of categories.[7]

Origin controversy

Pennsylvania, Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire all claim to be the birthplace of the whoopie pie. The Pennsylvania Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau[8] notes that the whoopie pie recipe comes from the area's Amish and Pennsylvania German culture—origins that are unlikely to leave an official paper trail—and has been handed down through generations.[9] Labadie's Bakery in Lewiston, Maine has been making the confection since 1925.[10] The now-defunct Berwick Cake Company of Roxbury, Massachusetts was selling "Whoopee Pies" as early as the 1920s, but officially branded the Whoopee Pie in 1928 to great success. Various claims suggest that the whoopie pie originated in Massachusetts and spread both north and south,[11] or that German immigrants in Pennsylvania[12] brought the predecessor of the whoopie pie to communities throughout the northeast.[13] A clue into how the possibly Amish dessert got to be so popular in New England can be found in a 1930s cookbook called Yummy Book by the Durkee Mower Company, the manufacturer of Marshmallow Fluff. In this New England cookbook, a recipe for "Amish Whoopie Pie" was featured using Marshmallow Fluff in the filling.[14]

In 2011, the Maine State Legislature considered naming the whoopie pie the official state pie.[12] The proposal received bipartisan support. L.D. 71, officially known as "An Act to Designate the Whoopie Pie as the State Dessert", read "The whoopie pie, a baked good made of two chocolate cakes with a creamy frosting between them, is the official state dessert".[15] The Maine Legislature eventually decided to declare the whoopie pie the official state treat, and chose blueberry pie (made with wild Maine blueberries) as the official state dessert.[4]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Annual Report of the State of Massachusetts Infirmary. 3. 1835. p. 92. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  2. 1 2 Maynard, Micheline (March 17, 2009). "Whoopie! Cookie, Pie or Cake, It's Having Its Moment". The New York Times. Retrieved March 18, 2009.
  3. ↑ History of Whoopie pie
  4. 1 2 3 Associated Press (April 21, 2011). "It's the law: Whoopie pie official 'treat'". Portland Press Herald. Retrieved April 21, 2011.
  5. 1 2 3 "Maine creates 1,062 pound Whoopie Pie". WHDH-TV. March 28, 2011. Retrieved April 21, 2011.
  6. ↑ Sharrow, Dan (July 2, 2014). "Over 7,500 People Celebrate the Maine Whoopie Pie". mainewhoopiepiefestival.com. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  7. ↑ Stapleton, Erica (June 27, 2014). "Bakers Prepare For Upcoming Whoopie Pie Festival in Dover-Foxcroft". WABI. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  8. ↑ "Save Our Whoopie". PAdutchcountry.com. Retrieved 2011-03-02.
  9. ↑ Pompilio, Natalie (February 16, 2011). "Whoopie pies: Maine treat or Lancaster Co. delight?". Philly.com. Retrieved 2011-03-02.
  10. ↑ "Battle Brewing Over 'Whoopie Pies'". Portland, Maine: WMTW.com. February 15, 2011. Retrieved 2011-03-02.
  11. ↑ Stoneback, Diane W. "Which state made the first whoopie pie?". mcall.com. Tribune Company. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  12. 1 2 Gorsegner, Michael (February 18, 2011). "Pennsylvanians upset over Maine's claim to Whoopie Pie creation". Fox43.com. East Lampeter Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Archived from the original on July 11, 2011.
  13. ↑ "Whoopie Pie, Whoopie Pie Recipe, Gob History, How To Make Whoopie Pies, Whoopie Pie History". Whatscookingamerica.net. March 12, 2009. Retrieved 2011-03-02.
  14. ↑ "Whoopie Pie History and Recipe, Gob History, How To Make Whoopie Pies, Whats Cooking America". whatscookingamerica.net. Retrieved 2016-06-03.
  15. ↑ Cover, Susan M. (January 18, 2011). "Maine legislators sweet on whoopie pies". Portland Press Herald. Augusta, Maine. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
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