National Cherry Pie Day
Indulge in the sweet taste of summer's finest fruit, baked to perfection in a flaky crust. This delicious dessert will leave you feeling warm and satisfied.
Drive bakery foot traffic, home baking supplies, and lifestyle product sales (scents, wine) by positioning cherry pie as a February indulgence moment for home entertaining and self-care.
- Share your homemade cherry pie creation on social media with #NationalCherryPieDay for a chance to win bakery gift cards
- Bundle cherry pie-scented candles, lotions, and wine for a cozy February gift set
- Feature easy cherry pie recipes (traditional and creative variants) with ingredient shopping links
- Partner with local bakeries for 'pie day' specials and drive foot traffic with limited-time offers
To learn more about the tangy cherry pie, we must first dive into the history of pies as a dessert. Historians believe the first pie was made by the early Romans, who came up with the idea through the Greeks.
The ancient Roman pie was quite different than the desserts of today. These pies were often made with a sweet or savory filling put inside a reed.
The reed plant was meant to hold the filling, but the reeds were not eaten, just as a container for the filling which was scooped out. The Roman pie recipes were not always clear, and the fillings could have been made with a variety of ingredient combinations.
As the Romans spread their knowledge of pie, they began to frequent Europe in the 14th century. The Oxford English Dictionary shows that the word pie became most frequently used in this era, as recipes spread across Europe.
Historians later discovered that the first written pie recipe came from the Romans and included a filling of rye flour, goat cheese, and honey.
The first European pies were not those we know today. Often called “pyes”, they had quite a grotesque recipe. These pies were meat pies made with a variety of fowl and small prey.
The pie crust was called the “coffyn” and many of these pies were mostly crust with tiny amounts of filling. In pies using fowl as a filling, the legs of the fowl were jammed into the crust and used as handles to eat the pie!
Fruit pies began to develop in the 1500s. The first time a cherry pie recipe was served was to Queen Elizabeth I in England! As the pies spread to America, they were often served in Roman style, where the crust was discarded after the filling had been eaten.
Researchers assume that the term “crust” as we know it today was created to replace “coffyn” during the Revolutionary War.
Many centuries later, pies have become one of the most traditional American desserts with many using the phrase “as American as apple pie.” Starting in the 1890’s, “pie” was a common word to describe something simple, thus creating the term “easy as pie”
National Cherry Pie Day isn’t the only pie day, as other flavors have their own days such as Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie Day, Lemon Cream Pie Day, and National Boston Cream Pie Day!
Bake a Cherry Pie
If you enjoy cooking and being in the kitchen, consider baking a cherry pie today to celebrate. Then, invite over friends or family to sit down and have a slice of the warm, tart pie you just baked. If you’re looking for a bit more creativity, consider making a variant of the traditional cherry pie. Some of these hybrid recipes include cherry pie with mix-ins like cinnamon, orange, blueberry, pecans, and chocolate chips.
Pick Up a Cherry Pie
Want to use this day as an excuse to get out of the house? Consider stopping by your favorite bakery or pie shop and order a slice of cherry pie. Invite a friend with you for company, and post a picture of your slice of pie on social media!
Enjoy Cherry Scented Items
If you’re less into baking and eating sweets, consider an alternative method to pie eating. Instead, try enjoying a cherry pie scented product to pay tribute to the cherished dessert. Stores like Bath and Body Works and other body companies sell a variety of cherry pie scented lotions, soaps, perfumes, and sanitizers, some with the names of “Sugared Cherry Crisp” and “Classic Cherry Pie.”
Try Cherry Pie Wine
If you want to take it a step further, relax at home with a tall glass of Stanly’s Cherry Pie Pinot Noir wine or a different cherry pie inspired wine. Consider also purchasing a pie (specifically cherry pie) scented candle to burn while you enjoy a slice of pie or a glass of pie wine! Whether you’re a passionate baker or not, there are plenty of ways for you to celebrate this dessert– whether its by drink, food, or body product! So, spend today celebrating a classically refreshing and tart dessert that has a history as rich as the pie itself! National Cherry Pie Day Timeline1550sCherry pies at the Tudor courtEnglish sources and later food historians report that one of the earliest recorded cherry pies was served to Queen Elizabeth I, helping establish cherries as a favored fruit for enclosed pastry desserts in England.[1]1629Cherries arrive with English colonists in MassachusettsGovernor John Endecott and other settlers planted some of the earliest recorded European cherry trees in Massachusetts Bay, beginning the adaptation of Old World cherries that would later be used in American pies.1760s–1770sCherry pie becomes part of early American cookeryBy the late colonial era, American cooks are baking fruit pies with locally grown cherries, drawing on English pie traditions while using New World ingredients and wood‑fired ovens common in early settlements.[1]1852Montmorency sour cherries take root in MichiganFrench missionaries and later farmers established Montmorency tart cherry orchards along Lake Michigan; by the mid‑19th century, the region was recognized for its sour cherries, which became the classic American cherry pie fruit.[1]1920Canned cherry pie filling reaches U.S. home kitchensAs commercial canning expanded after World War I, processors began selling canned cherry pie filling, making cherry pies easier to bake year‑round and helping standardize the sweet‑tart style familiar in American diners.February 1, 1960The Greensboro Four ordered cherry pie in a sit‑in protestAt a segregated Woolworth’s lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, four Black students order coffee and cherry pie and are refused service, an act of nonviolent resistance that sparks sit‑ins across the South.[1]April 8, 1990“Twin Peaks” debuts and turns cherry pie into a cult iconThe television series “Twin Peaks” premieres on ABC, featuring FBI Agent Dale Cooper’s rapturous praise of “a damn fine cup of coffee” and cherry pie, which cements the dessert as a quirky symbol of small‑town American culture.
Cherry pies at the Tudor court
English sources and later food historians report that one of the earliest recorded cherry pies was served to Queen Elizabeth I, helping establish cherries as a favored fruit for enclosed pastry desserts in England. [1]
Cherries arrive with English colonists in Massachusetts
Governor John Endecott and other settlers planted some of the earliest recorded European cherry trees in Massachusetts Bay, beginning the adaptation of Old World cherries that would later be used in American pies.
Cherry pie becomes part of early American cookery
By the late colonial era, American cooks are baking fruit pies with locally grown cherries, drawing on English pie traditions while using New World ingredients and wood‑fired ovens common in early settlements. [1]
Montmorency sour cherries take root in Michigan
French missionaries and later farmers established Montmorency tart cherry orchards along Lake Michigan; by the mid‑19th century, the region was recognized for its sour cherries, which became the classic American cherry pie fruit. [1]
Canned cherry pie filling reaches U.S. home kitchens
As commercial canning expanded after World War I, processors began selling canned cherry pie filling, making cherry pies easier to bake year‑round and helping standardize the sweet‑tart style familiar in American diners.
The Greensboro Four ordered cherry pie in a sit‑in protest
At a segregated Woolworth’s lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, four Black students order coffee and cherry pie and are refused service, an act of nonviolent resistance that sparks sit‑ins across the South. [1]
“Twin Peaks” debuts and turns cherry pie into a cult icon
The television series “Twin Peaks” premieres on ABC, featuring FBI Agent Dale Cooper’s rapturous praise of “a damn fine cup of coffee” and cherry pie, which cements the dessert as a quirky symbol of small‑town American culture.