Riddle: What the Rock Glimpsed

Question

Here's my first attempt at a puzzle. The answer is a word.

A tawny pelt stretched toward the sky
It reached ground long after it died

My zestful hearts were next to fall
Our blood spread thin amidst it all

Our culture was the last to go
Torn apart before they zapped the whole

Don't ask who, instead ask why
And find the answer simple as pie

Answer 1

This is a

pizza

A tawny pelt stretched toward the sky
It reached ground long after it died

Traditionally pizza crusts ("tawny pelt") are tossed in the air to stretch them

My zestful hearts were next to fall
Our blood spread thin amidst it all

Tomato sauce is definitely the blood. The zestful hearts could be tomato pieces or maybe pepperoni slices. (The more I look at this, the "hearts" become unclear to me. Artichoke hearts are also possible pizza toppings.)

Our culture was the last to go
Torn apart before they zapped the whole

Shredded mozzarella ("culture" refers to cheese cultures, and it is "torn apart") is added before the pizza is baked quickly at high temperatures ("zapped")

Don't ask who, instead ask why
And find the answer simple as pie

Pizza is often called a "pie" or "pizza pie"

edited to add: I forgot to mention the title.

What the rock glimpsed

Pizzas are often baked on a pizza stone

Answer 2

Since I already gave away the checkmark, I'll reveal the other clues here:

First Clue: As Daphne B said, the first three stanzas describe a pizza, with the first of the couplet referring to the ingredient and the second the preparation:
-Wheat Fields/Ground into flour once the grain is dried
-Tomatoes/Spread as sauce in the middle
-Cheese/Shredded on top and cooked

Second Clue: The 7th line tells you that it is not a people, even though it sounds that way. It also tells you to ask "why." If you take every letter appearing after a "Y" in the poem, you will find the letters spell p-i-z-z-a.

Third Clue: 8th line. As Daphne observed, 'pie' = 'pizza pie.' Pretty easy.

Last Clue: The title has 2 clues, one tangential the other very obscure. As Daphne said, it could refer to a pizza stone. Also, the name "Peter" means Rock. So what "The Rock glimpsed" is what "Pete saw." Pete-Saw. Pizza. Get it? :P (Ok. That last one is a real groaner, but I don't consider clues in the title to be necessary. They are just for a little extra fun.)

Thank you to Daphne B for the excellent answer, GentlePurple Rain for biting on the mislead, f'' for the correction, Manshu for the edit, and for all the viewers who took the time to think about it. Happy Puzzling.

Answer 3

This makes me think of Canadian (or American) First Nations.

A tawny pelt stretched toward the the sky
It reached ground long after it died

This could refer to a teepee, which is made of animal hide, which requires time to process before it can be "stretched toward the sky".

My zestful heart was next to fall
Our spread thin amidst it all

This could refer to animal blood used to decorate the teepee.

Our culture was the last to go
Torn apart before they zapped the whole

This could refer to the way European colonists suppressed and actively destroyed the First Nations culture, including the residential schools.

Don't ask who, instead ask why
And find the answer simple as pie

Not too sure what this means. Is it referring to the reasons for the European cultural oppression?

Answer 4

Answer:

An apple or some sort of fruit.