During the Great Depression, American families did what they could to make satisfying meals. Dishes such as Hoover Stew, chipped beef on toast, and different types of hash developed during that time, which we still enjoy today.

While certain ingredients were scarce or no longer affordable, people still enjoyed desserts. Depression-era chefs and bakers came up with creative recipes for wacky cake, rice pudding, and one simple and delicious pie: buttermilk pie.

Referred to as a “desperation pie,” buttermilk pie was a custard-style pie made with love and ingredients families already had on hand.

History of buttermilk pie

The USDA defines buttermilk as “the byproduct of churning cream into butter. Cultured buttermilk is usually made from skim milk by adding a starter culture and incubating until lactic acid develops to about 0.8%.”

Milk prices plummeted during the Great Depression, which made it widely available. Congress would go on to........

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