Pumpkin Pie Is Now The Official Pie Of Illinois
By Anthony Todd in Food on Aug 14, 2015 9:23PM
The legislature may be paralyzed and the budget may be at an impasse, but at least one important piece of governing got done Friday, as Gov. Bruce Rauner signed a bill making Pumpkin Pie the official state pie of Illinois.
The word comes from Chicago Tribune statehouse reporter Monique Garcia.
It's official: Gov. Bruce Rauner signs bill designating pumpkin pie as the official Illinois state pie.
— Monique Garcia (@moniquegarcia) August 14, 2015The bill was passed by the Illinois House back in April, and it turns out this isn't just a random selection of pie—Illinois is the biggest producer of pumpkins in the nation, so it's only natural that the only thing most people eat that is made out of pumpkin receive some official accolade.
For the civics geeks among you, technically this bill was an amendment to the "State Designations Act," the law which lists all the various "Official Illinois" things. For example, did you know the official Illinois State Amphibian is the Eastern Tiger Salamander? Or that the official Tartan of Illinois is the Illinois Saint Andrew Society Tartan? Or that Drummer silty clay loam is the official state soil? The more you know.
Pumpkin pie now joins the GoldRush Apple (official fruit) on the list of government-sanctioned foods. Someone get a bill going to ban ketchup from official state hot dogs, already!