Hand pies comes in variety of flavors

Small pies, frequently called hand pies, are much better travelers than a slice of pie. In fact, some retailers call them “pocket pies” because they are so simple to carry around.

While they may appear as American as, well, apple pie, hand pies circle the globe. In South America, small pies known as empanadas are made with both meat and fruit filling. Indian hand pies called samosas usually have a spicy filling, and Greek tiropita pies often are sold as a fast breakfast on the go.

Making hand pies involve a little more work than one big pie, but the process is almost the same. The filling, whether sweet or savory, is ready just like a regular pie filling, and then the dough is rolled out, cut and folded or crimped over a dollop of filling.

The world’s largest purveyor of hand pies, McDonald’s, is switched from fried pies to baked apple pies in 1992 (their pineapple pies, which they call empanadas, also are baked).