The Official State Pie Of Oregon Is A Pacific Northwest Classic

The pie is a beloved American icon. Originally brought over by the Pilgrims in the 1600s, it quickly became part of the fabric of American cuisine. Today, there's a pie for just about everyone, from key lime to strawberry rhubarb to the infamous Texas trash pie. One state that's particularly passionate about pies is Oregon. The Pacific Northwest, perhaps more than anywhere else in America, is passionate about eating locally sourced food — and that's reflected in Oregon's official state pie: the marionberry pie.

The what berry? You'd be forgiven for your confusion. The marionberry isn't particularly well-known outside of the Pacific Northwest, where it grows. For the uninitiated, it's essentially a combination of various blackberry species — but that description doesn't do it justice. It's dark, sweet, floral, and earthy all at once, with a flavor profile closer to a well-aged wine than most fresh berries. In pie form, those flavors are amplified, resulting in a beautifully balanced dessert that deftly walks the line between syrupy and tart.

Though the marionberry pie is a Pacific Northwest classic today, it would have been unknown back in the 1930s. That's because the marionberry itself didn't exist yet — it was created in 1948 at Oregon State University by horticulturist George F. Waldo. A cross between Chehalem and Olallie blackberries, the marionberry (named after Marion County, where it was developed) was bigger, sweeter, and tarter than its predecessors — and it instantly became popular. In a state like Oregon, which is known throughout America (if not the world) for its berry production, that was no small feat.

Of course, as soon as there were marionberries, people started putting them into pies — it's human nature, after all. And just like that, the people of Oregon had a new favorite summer dessert. The marionberry's season is extremely short, lasting only a few weeks a year, and it only grows in the Pacific Northwest. This uniqueness, combined with its legendary status in Oregon (per NPR, the state produces up to 33 million pounds of marionberries annually, and most are eaten before they ever leave the region), made it the perfect choice to be officially named the state pie in 2017.

Making a marionberry pie is a delightfully simple process. Follow the steps you'd take to make any other berry pie. Just combine fresh berries, citrus juice, cane sugar, butter, cornstarch, and a pinch of salt, et voilà — you have your filling. If you want to reduce the bake time (and bring out a little more caramel-like sweetness), throw everything in a pot and cook it down for about 15 minutes. This will reduce all that juice into a lovely syrupy mess, perfect for a truly decadent pie. Then, pour the filling into a buttery, flaky pie crust and bake until golden. Delicious.

For serving, why not follow the advice of the experts? In this case, we mean the Oregon state legislature itself, which recommends enjoying marionberry pie either on its own or with a dollop of whipped cream. For berry lovers, it doesn't get much better than that.