When something is very American, people say it is as “American as apple pie.” Many of us grew up believing that this revered pie was a staple of our early American ancestors and founding fathers. Obviously old school bakeries must have sold more apple pies than any other variety, right? Well, not quite. These colonial bakeries sold plenty of pies, but apples weren't the most popular choice among our early ancestors.

What was the most common and popular pie in early American bakeries? Believe it or not, rhubarb pie was the most requested and eaten pie in this time period. Apple pie wasn’t even invented in America, rather, it was invented in Britain in the 1300s. While it was popular with american settlers coming from overseas, rhubarb pie was much more common. In fact, rhubarb used to be known lovingly as ‘the pie plant.’

Today, rhubarb pie definitely takes a backseat to apple and isn’t very popular in most regions of the US. In fact, it is one of the most ‘love it or hate it’ pies found at the classic American bakery. Apple on the other hand is beloved coast to coast and is often served up ala mode with a scoop of ice cream!