that’s life

What’s in possum pie?

Our sharp-eyed copy editor stopped on two words: possum pies.

In our Flavor story for Thursday, possum pies with peaches or strawberries were listed as specialties created by the catering business.

I heard the editor’s end of the conversation on the phone: “What in the world is possum pie?” she asked the freelance writer.

My co-worker started laughing, and I was too busy to ask about the conversation.

We received a delivery at the newspaper a few days later from the writer - it was a white bakery box with a delicious-looking pie inside. It had whipped cream and fresh peaches on top.

We were told it was possum pie.

One employee asked: “Are we gonna find a little possum inside like the baby in a king cake?”

The copy editor laughed and laughed at that one.

A photographer declined a piece and said he preferred raccoon pie.

“Possum’s too gamey,” he said.

I’ve heard of the coon supper in Gillett. (I’ll pass.) I’ve eaten deer and duck, thanks to my firstborn son, the hunter, and I tried frog legs at a buffet once, but I’ve never eaten anything that I’ve driven across on the highway - that I know of.

I Googled possum pie and got several results.

One website claimed to have possum recipes and suggested using “one slightly injured possum” for possum pot pie.

It was a joke. I think it was a joke.

A question had been posted at a restaurant website by a person who said he’d trapped one in California and had always heard of possum pie and was curious to try it. He also asked if there were any transmittable diseases he could get.

That led to a huge discussion that went off on other tangents, but a person posted a recipe that called for several ingredients, including one young live possum. At the end, it said the possum could be used to lick the mixing bowls clean before setting him loose.

Another place had a recipe for possum pie that used sugar, walnuts, butter crackers, coconut and whipped topping.

No road kill listed in the ingredients.

Still another possum pie recipe I found had a cherry pie in the shape of a possum. The pie looked almost as gross as the real thing would.

It didn’t take me long to eat the slice of pie on my plate, every bite heavenly.

I still didn’t get why it was called possum pie.

Surely that sweet, creamy goodness wasn’t pureed possum?

One of the younger members of the staff explained that possum pie was a pie that fooled you - by looking like one thing - vanilla pudding - but hiding something inside, like chocolate pudding. Playing possum, get it?

I can’t believe I’ve lived in the South for 47 years and never heard of it, much less never eaten it.

The copy editor called the writer/pie-sender to thank her and tell her how good the pie was. The author of the article said there was supposed to be chocolate in it, though.

There wasn’t.

Does that make it possum possum pie?

Tri-Lakes, Pages 122 on 07/24/2011

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