According to the food historians, lemon flavored custards, puddings and pies have been enjoyed since Medieval times. While Renaissance European cooks used whisked egg-whites in several dishes, it was not until the 17th century that they perfected meringue. 18th century English cookbooks list lemon cakes as a recipe variation for Orange Cakes (Mrs. Raffald, The Experienced English Housekeeper 1). By the 19th century, lemon cakes were standard fare in American cookbooks, Lemon-meringue pie, made with lemon curd and topped with meringue, has been a favorite American dessert since. Lemon meringue pie, as we know it today, is a 19th century product. The earliest recorded recipe was created in the mid-nineteenth century made with typical farmyard accessible ingredients such as lemons and eggs.

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