Pies are a culinary delight taken seriously worldwide, but a particular iteration of the pastry wonder has sparked controversy.
New Zealand service station chain Z Energy rolled out their limited edition spaghetti bolognese and cheese pie to very mixed reviews.
Some have branded the Italian-inspired filling “amazing” while others call it “disgusting”.
The spaghetti bolognese pie – which also features cheese – is currently the star of Reddit with people flocking to the social media platform to share their take and snaps of the snack.
Although pie fillings are regularly subject to experimentation, social media users couldn’t help but be captivated by this particular one, expressing their fascination with the unique combination of flavors.
“Saw the sign myself, found it weird but was also mildly curious,” one commented on a picture of the pie.
“I mean mac and cheese pies are not rare any more, and this is closer than that to a traditional pie flavour,” another added.
“If it’s anything like the spag bol toastie I made the other day, I am in,” a budding chef was found commenting.
“That’s disgusting. Where do I buy one?” added a budding comedian.
Others weren’t so jovial.
“I seriously don’t understand this country. This looks amazing. With food, it’s like everyone here is afraid of having any new unique food,” one said.
“A couple weeks ago, we were talking about pies at work, and I suggested a pizza pie. My colleagues were horrified. Why? WHY? You like pizza yes? It’s all of the same ingredients but in a different form factor. It’s a flaky pie crust instead of a pizza pie crust.”
Andy Baird, Z’s retail general manager, has gone on record to say that the company wasn’t surprise the pie had stirred a response from the general public.
“Z is uniquely Kiwi, and we like to reflect that in what we do. Our mission with the Spag Bol pie was to inspire customers with a classic, nostalgic flavour and put that into pie form,” he said.
“Since it hit the pie warmer, feedback from our site staff and customers has been overwhelmingly positive. So while the limited edition pie is not for everyone, it’s certainly got some fans. Who knows what we will come up with next.”