WHEN you think about the humble pasty, there are a number of things that could come to mind; Cornwall, crisp pastry, lunchtime, the countryside, however, it’s unlikely that one might associate Mexico with the South West delicacy.  

While Mexico and Cornwall might feel a million miles away, the South West and North America are closer than you might think.  

Until 2017, Mexico was home to the world’s only Cornish pasty museum. Based in the city of Real del Monte, the museum dives into the history of the meat-filled delicacy and the journey it took to land on Mexican shores.

But why is it that a rural city in Mexico has so many links to the Cornish pasty, invented more than 5,300 miles away?  

Links date back to the 19th-century when miners from the Duchy made the long trip across the Atlantic to the city of Pachuca and its surrounding mining towns. These experienced miners were hired to revive the silver mining industry in the area but as well as their trade, these Cornishmen brought their culture too.  

Religion was among things taken with them however, a love of football was also shared with locals – Pachuca is host to Mexico’s oldest football club.  

Along with the faith and football, of course miners brought with them a comforting taste of home, in the form of the meat-filled Cornish pasty.  

Since its arrival, the humble Cornish snack has become the thing of legend in the area — known locally as the ‘paste’, though pronounced in the same way — with locals even creating their own take on the traditional meat and potato variety.  Some of these include red mole — a savoury chocolate sauce, refried beans, and pineapple and tinga (a spicy shredded pork or chicken) in chilli.

Each October Real De Monte is also to host its own International Cornish Pasty Festival which lasts three days and in 2016 saw the record attempt to create the world’s longest pasty.

With the pasty firmly situated in the hearts of the Mexican people, it was only right to celebrate and commemorate the history of this much-loved snack. This prompted the opening of the world’s first Cornish pasty museum, Museo del Paste. The site dives into the history of Cornwall and the Cornish pasty and even lets visitors create their own pasties under expert supervision from the local pasty makers. 

In 2014, the site even received a visit from the then Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, Charles and Camilla.  

While now, similar museums have been opened in the pasty’s homeland, the city of Real De Monte will forever be the home of the world’s first.

Which pasty would you choose - Cornish or Mexican?