The Exact Difference Between A Pie And A Tart

When it comes to comparing a pie and a tart, there's no getting around the fact that the pie has the upper hand in America, and we've named the best pie in each state. You might have eaten many a tart in your time, but could you put your finger on what exactly made it a tart as opposed to perhaps a fancier type of pie? While the names can and are used interchangeably, these two baked goods are separate entities, albeit with some overlap.

Although we all know a pie when we see one, the exact definition is broad and non-specific. Both pies and tarts can be sweet or savory and feature some kind of crust and filling, but that, of course, leaves room for a lot of variations. A tart tends to have a bottom crust only, which is often more of a shortcrust pastry than a flaky pie crust. And when it comes to the contents, tarts often feature unbaked fillings, while a pie's insides are generally cooked. Even with these parameters, there will often be exceptions, but whether you opt for a pie or a tart, you're bound to get something delicious.

For a pie to be a pie, it just needs two things: a crust and a filling. And if you cast your mind over the many types of pie that you know, they are bound to meet these criteria. It doesn't really matter where that crust is. A fruit pie is often enclosed on both top and bottom, though the top crust is often made of lattice-work pastry. Single crust pies have crust only on the bottom — this includes all of the classics like pumpkin pie and pecan pie. And a pie with crust only on the top is also valid — just think of a chicken pot pie.

Speaking of crust, a pie generally uses a flaky dough. At its most basic, this is made from flour, fat (shortening or butter), salt, and water. Depending on the recipe, pie crusts are often flavored with herbs and spices or even replaced with something else to complement the filling — Graham cracker crust being a favorite. Whether you opt for a sweet peach pie or a savory meat pie, you'll notice that most pies have a filling that's cooked along with the pie crust. However, there are exceptions that will immediately spring to mind, like a classic banana cream pie, and let's not forget all those no-bake pies.

A tart can be more precisely defined than a pie, but it still encompasses a wide variety of dishes. The dough for making a tart also features flour, fat, and water, but it has a much higher percentage of flour compared to pie dough. This results in a shorter crumb and a pastry that's more delicate and has a neater appearance. The advantage of a shortcrust pastry is that it's better for containing wet fillings, which are common with tarts. A classic fresh fruit tart and this chocolate hazelnut tart are blind baked, and the sweet fillings are left to set in the fridge. Of course, there are plenty of cooked fillings, particularly savory tarts like this heirloom tomato ricotta tart, or tarts where the fruit needs to be cooked, like a pear almond tart.

A tart is designed to stand alone for slicing and serving (while a pie is often served directly from its baking vessel), so tart tins often feature a removable base. Traditional tart tins also have lower sides, which help with removing the tart in one piece. The exception to most of these tart definitions is a free-form tart like this asparagus goat cheese tart. It varies by using puff pastry and being baked directly on a baking sheet, rather than a tin. The idea is that the pastry puffs up around the edge of the filling to create the walls of the tart. That said, it still meets the definition of having only a bottom crust and being freestanding. So just as with a pie, it's more about the feeling it inspires than strict rules