Someone from our New York office (a shout out to Peter L.!) heard from the American Pie Council recently. Thankfully he hadn't broken any laws involving pie -- they just wanted to share some pie history with him, plus a few various pie "factoids" in light of Fox Searchlight's WAITRESS, now in its second month in theaters.

Didn't know there was an American Pie Council? Well now you do. (Don't worry, I didn't either.) See below for the information they gave us!

According to a 2004 survey by Crisco® and American Pie Council:

• One out of four Americans prefer apple pie, followed by pumpkin or sweet potato (17%), anything chocolate (14%), lemon meringue (11%) and cherry (10%)

• Nearly twice as many people prefer their pie unadorned as those who like it “a la mode” with either ice cream or whipped cream topping

• Three out of four Americans overwhelmingly prefer homemade pie, while 13 percent enjoy pie from a bakery or pastry shop – only one percent said they head to the diner for their favorite slice

According to a 2006 survey conducted by Four Points by Sheraton:

Pie By the Numbers

• 36 million: Number of Americans who identify apple pie as their favorite

• 47%: Americans for whom the word “comforting” comes to mind when they think of pie

• 6 million: Number of American men ages 35-54 who have eaten the last slice of pie and denied it

• 27%: Americans who believe chocolate pie is the most romantic to share with someone special

• 1 in 5: Proportion of Americans who have eaten an entire pie by themselves

• 113 million: Number of Americans who have eaten pie for breakfast

• 42%: Americans who prefer to eat their pie with ice cream

• 75 million: Number of Americans who prefer to drink milk with their pie

• 32%: Americans who prefer no crust on top of their pie

• 90%: Americans who agree that a slice of pie represents one of the simple pleasures in life

• 9%: Americans who prefer to eat their pie crust-first

• 7%: Americans who have passed off a store-bought pie as homemade

• 18%: Men who say their wife makes the best homemade pie

• 2%: Women who say their husband makes the best homemade pie

Pie Personalities

• If you love Apple Pie, you are likely to describe yourself as independent, realistic and compassionate
• If you love Pecan Pie, you are likely to describe yourself as thoughtful and analytical
• If you love Chocolate Pie, you are likely to describe yourself as Loving
• If you love Pumpkin Pie you are likely to describe yourself as funny and independent

Pie Preferences

• More than one-third of Americans have eaten pie in bed
• Nearly one in four women believe that they make the best pie – better than Mom or Grandma
• More than a third of Americans have craved pie in the middle of the night

General Pie Trivia

• If you lined up the number of pies sold at U.S. grocery stores in one year, they would circle the globe and then some.

• If you lined up the number of pies sold at U.S. grocery stores during Thanksgiving, they would span more than half the globe.

• The majority of pies purchased are bought at a grocery store or supermarket.

• The first mention of a fruit pie in print is from Robert Green’s Arcadia (1590): “thy breath is like the steame of apple-pyes.”
• The wet bottom molasses pie, Shoo-fly pie, was used to attract flies from the kitchen.

• Oliver Cromwell banned the eating of pie in 1644, declaring it a pagan form of pleasure. For 16 years, pie eating and making went underground until the Restoration leaders lifted the ban on pie in 1660.

• The wealthy English were known for their “Surprise Pies” in which live creatures would pop out when the pie was cut open.

• Pumpkin pie was first introduced to the holiday table at the pilgrim’s second Thanksgiving in 1623.

• Pie was not always America’s favorite dessert – in the 19th Century, fruit pies were a common breakfast food eaten before the start of a long day.

• At one time it was against the law to serve ice cream on cherry pie in Kansas.

• “As easy as pie” is an American expression. In the 1890’s, “pie” was a common slang expression meaning anything easy, a cinch; the expression “easy as pie” stemmed quite readily from that.

• The airplane Buddy Holly died in was named the “American Pie.”

• Boston Cream Pie is a cake, not a pie.

• Pies are favorite props for humor, particularly when aimed at the pompous. Throwing a pie in a person's face has been a staple of film comedy since the early days of the medium, and real-life pranksters have taken to targeting politicians and celebrities with their pies, an act called “pieing.”

State Pies

• Key Lime pie was just adopted in the state of Florida as the official pie of Florida in 2006.
• The state of Vermont adopted apple pie as the official state pie in 1999.