National Peach Pie Day: A Few Peach Pie Variations For The Summer

Every year on Aug. 24, we observe National Peach Pie Day and celebrate this mouth-watering and popular dessert.

Though a popular fruit now in the U.S, the humble peach originated in China near the Yangtze River Valley where they were cultivated.

However, the fruit soon moved west to Persia where they earned their botanical name, Prunus persica. After Alexander the Great conquered the Persians around 340 BC, he brought the fruit to Europe, from where it reached the U.S.

While a section believes it was Franciscan monks arriving in St. Augustine, Florida, in the mid-1500s that brought peaches to America, another section believes a horticulturist from England named George Minifie brought seeds to the colonies in the early 17th century.

Anyway, peaches soon turned our favorite, and it is now being cultivated in 33 states throughout the year. Commercial production began in the 19th century in Maryland, Delaware, South Carolina, Virginia and Georgia.

Not just tasty, the fruit is healthy too. A medium peach contains 30 calories, 7 g of carbohydrate, 1 g of protein, 140 mg of potassium and 8 percent of the daily value for vitamin C.

As we celebrate National Peach Pie Day, here are a few peach pie varieties that will leave you drooling.

1) Peach Melba Pie: According to Chowhound, this version of the peach pie adds raspberries to the filling. Also, the pie dough is replaced with an oatmeal-brown sugar streusel topping. Streusel is a crumbly topping usually made with real butter, flour and sugar. Vanilla ice cream is mandatory. See the recipe here.

2) Ginger Peach Pie: The Ginger peach combo can break the monotony. The secret to its alluring taste is the combination of brown sugar, tapioca, ginger, lemon juice, cinnamon and salt. Peaches are blanched and added to this juice. Here is the recipe.

3) Country Peach Pie: Pour homemade sour-cream custard over fruit for a tender, easy-to-make single-crust pie. You can get the recipe here.

4) Deep-Dish Peach and Berry Pie: In this variation, peach gets equally good company in blueberry. But, ensure that you don't use frozen blueberries as excess moisture released during making may result in a soggy or undercooked crust. Get the recipe here.