I first came across the word ‘oggy’ when I was in my swimming club, and we had a chant which we would shout out, I’m sure you know it, ‘Oggy, oggy, oggy, oi, oi, oi!’ I have no idea where it came from, but have heard it since in all sorts of sporting and school and team events, and thought it was just one of those all-purpose team chants which have arisen almost spontaneously.
Since then I have come across the word oggy in a different sense, meaning a Cornish pasty, and in fact oggy is the Cornish name for pasty. A pasty is a traditional Cornish pastry filled with meat and vegetables; in the old days only one end of it had this savoury filling, the other end would have fruit or jam, and the miners would take the pasties down the tin mines with them for their lunch. No doubt other Cornish workers would take them to their work, whether out in the fields or out at sea. There is an idea that pasty sellers would call out their wares ‘oggy, oggy, oggy’ and you can imagine this developing from a street cry into a chant, much as other street cries developed into songs.
Cornish pasties are called ‘hoggen’ in Cornish, and this could be the origin of the word ‘oggy’. A pasty is filled with uncooked meat, diced or minced beef, and vegetables, slices of potatoes, swede and onion, seasoned with plenty of pepper. The pastry is cut into a round and then folded over the filling in a D shape and the edges crimped together. The key thing for it to be a Cornish pasty is of course that it should be made in Cornwall!
Lois Elsden 
What a fun word! It’s so wonderful I might make up yet another meaning– plus I love the idea of using it in a chant!! xxoo
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I never heard of a pasty with fruit filling at one end and meat and potatoes at the other. Where I live Michigan USA is right across the bridge. A lot of Cornish miners emigrated there to work the mines back in the last century and naturally brought the pasty with them. Been all over the States and northern Michigan is the only place that makes them. Little known fact for what it’s worth.
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I didn’t know that – how interesting; my husband has a connection with Cornwall so we’re always like strange little bits of Cornish information… I’ll tell him!
I don’t think anyone makes the sweet/savoury pasties any more, I’m sure it was just when they were taken to work and the men would be away a whole day. Apparently the crimped edge of the pastry was made extra thick so it could be used as a handle and then thrown away
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Which end would you start with? The sweet end or the savoury one. Decisions,decisions,decisions!
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