Biscuit

For other uses, see Biscuit (disambiguation)}}}.

A biscuit is a small baked bread or cake. The exact meaning varies markedly in different parts of the world, sometimes leading to confusion. The origin of the word "biscuit" is from Latin via Middle French and means "twice cooked".

Biscuits in British usage

British digestive biscuits (which are called cookies in the U.S.).

In versions of English outside North America, and in many European languages other than English, a biscuit is a hard baked product like a small flat cake which in North America may be called a "cookie" or "cracker". The term biscuit also applies to sandwich type biscuits, where a layer of 'cream' or icing is sandwiched between two biscuits. It should be noted, however, that it has become increasingly more common within the UK and Australia for "cookie" to be used to differentiate between the softer, more chewy "cookie" and the harder, more brittle "biscuit".^{[[Citing sources citation needed]]} In this respect the British usage of the word biscuit was defined in the defence of a tax judgement found in favour of McVitie's and their product Jaffa cakes which the Inland Revenue claimed was a biscuit and was therefore liable to Value added tax. The successful defence rested on the fact that 'biscuits go soft when stale, whereas cakes go hard when stale'.

Although there are many regional varieties, both sweet and savoury, "biscuit" is generally used to describe the sweet version. Sweet biscuits are commonly eaten as a snack and may contain chocolate, fruit, jam, nuts or even be used to sandwich other fillings. Savoury biscuits, more often called crackers or crispbreads, are plainer and commonly eaten with cheese following a meal.

Generally, Australians use the British meaning of "biscuit", colloquially referred to as 'bikkies' for the sweet biscuit. Two famous Australian biscuit varieties are the Anzac biscuit and the Tim Tam.

Despite the difference, this sense is at the root of the United States' most prominent maker of cookies and crackers, the National Biscuit Company (now called Nabisco).

Biscuits in North American usage

American biscuits with honey.

In American English, a "biscuit" is a small form of bread made with baking powder or baking soda as a leavening agent rather than yeast. (Biscuits, soda breads, and corn bread, among others, are sometimes referred to collectively as "quick breads" to indicate that they do not need time to rise before baking.)

Biscuits are extremely similar to scones; in fact, many recipes are identical. In the United States, there is a growing tendency to refer to sweet variations as "scone" and to the savoury as a "biscuit," though there are exceptions for both (such as the cheese scone). A sweet biscuit served with a topping of fruit and juice is called shortcake. In Canada, both sweet and savoury are referred to as "biscuits," "baking powder biscuits" or "tea biscuits".

Biscuits are a common feature of Southern U.S. cuisine and are often made with buttermilk. They are traditionally served as a side dish with a meal, especially in the morning. As a breakfast item they are often eaten with butter and a sweet condiment such as molasses, light sugarcane syrup, sorghum syrup, honey, or fruit jam or jelly. With other meals they are usually eaten with butter or gravy instead of sweet condiments. However, biscuits and gravy (biscuits covered in "country-style" gravy) are usually served for breakfast, sometimes as the main course.

A common variation on basic biscuits is "cheese biscuits", made by adding grated Cheddar or American cheese to the basic recipe.

"Ham biscuits", a traditional Southern U.S. canapé, are simply tiny sandwiches of bite-sized biscuits sliced horizontally, spread with butter or mustard, and filled with pieces of Smithfield ham.

Large drop biscuits, because of their size and rough exterior texture, are sometimes referred to as "cat head biscuits".

Biscuits are now ubiquitous throughout the U.S. and feature prominently in many fast food breakfast sandwiches. The Biscuit sandwich burst onto the scene primarily through the Hardee's chain of resturants as an answer to the McDonald's Egg McMuffin. Along with the traditional country ham, Hardee's added Sausage, Cheese, Eggs, Steak, and even Chicken to the breakfast bread. Breakfast biscuits are much bigger than ham biscuits, most as big or bigger than a typical fast food hamburger. In addition, biscuits are commonly found as a side dish at fried chicken restaurants such as Kentucky Fried Chicken, Bojangles', Church's Chicken, Chick-fil-A, & Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits.

Biscuit

Biscuits in British usage

Biscuits in North American usage

See also