Huh? What? How is this an issue? Isn't a Cornish Pasty just a bougey British Hot Pocket?
Not according to the European Union. The EU has given the Cornish Pasty what it calls a "Protected Geographical Indication." That means that something sold as a Cornish Pasty must adhere to specific requirements and be made in the English county of Cornwall, much like any sparking wine sold as "Champagne" has to be from that particular region in France.
A true Cornish Pasty, according to the EU, must include diced or minced beef, sliced or diced potatoes, turnips, and onions, encased in a D-shaped flaky pastry, with edged sealed by a rope-like crimp, all pointing in the same direction.
Universal Orlando's "Cornish Pasties" fails that test, and that apparently is upsetting some British fans. Universal describes The Three Broomstick's Cornish Pasties as "flakey pastry pies filled with ground beef, vegetables & potatoes." Ground beef isn't "diced or minced," and there's no word whether the vegetables in Universal's version include the required turnips and onions. The crimp on The Three Broomsticks looks like it was applied with a fork, rather than twisted by hand. Finally, who knows where these pasties were made, but I'd be willing to guess that they were not made in Cornwall and shipped to Orlando, given the other issues with the dish.
Does it matter? Legally, perhaps not. The United States has clashed with the European Union in the past over geographic indicators, and while Universal Orlando's Village of Hogsmeade might be set in the Scottish Highlands, it legally remains within the jurisdictions of the United States and Florida (which has fought its own geographic indication legal battles over oranges, FWIW). The PGI for Cornish Pasties might soon cease to exist, too, once Cornwall, England, and the rest of the United Kingdom leave the European Union under the still-being-negotiated "Brexit."
But if Universal wanted to do right by British tourists upset with the dish, it simply could rename it "English pasties" or "Traditional pasties," or something else that eliminated the word "Cornish." Of course, Universal also could just pony up the pounds for the real thing and order certified pasties from Cornwall to be shipped to The Three Broomsticks, but that would almost certainly mean the end of the $10 price tag, which last I checked made the pasties (served with a side salad and choice of dressing), the least expensive entree on The Three Broomsticks' lunch and dinner menu.
I just order the fish and chips or chicken and ribs, anyway.
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(And I really thought I would trigger someone with my Hot Pockets comparison.)
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