A biscuit (IPA: /ˈbɪskɨt/) is a small baked product; the exact meaning varies markedly in different parts of the world. Baking is the technique of prolonged Cooking of Food by dry heat acting by conduction, and not by radiation, normally in an Oven, The origin of the word "biscuit" is from Latin via Middle French and means "cooked twice" (similar to the German Zwieback). Etymology is the study of the History of Words &mdash when they entered a language from what source and how their form and meaning have changed over time Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Middle French (le moyen français is a historical division of the French language which covers the period from (roughly 1340 to 1611. The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. Zwieback is a type of crispy sweetened Bread, made with eggs and Baked twice Some of the original biscuits were British naval hard tack. Hardtack (or hard tack) is a simple type of cracker or Biscuit, made from Flour, water and Salt. That was passed down to American culture, and hard tack (biscuits) was made through the 19th century.

Contents 1 Biscuits in British usage 2 Biscuits in North American usage 2.1 Beaten biscuits 2.2 Dog biscuits 3 See also 4 References

Biscuits in British usage

A biscuit is a hard baked sweet product like a small flat cake which in North America may be called a "cookie" or "cracker". In the United States and Canada, a cookie is a small flat-baked treat usually round containing milk flour eggs and sugar etc A cracker is a type of Biscuit that developed from military Hardtack and nautical ship biscuits The term biscuit also applies to sandwich type biscuits, where a layer of 'cream' or icing is sandwiched between two biscuits. A sandwich is a food item made of two or more slices of Bread with one or more layers of a filling Icing, also called frosting, is a Sweet glaze made of Sugar that often also contains Butter, Water, Egg whites In the UK, a "cookie" is only usually used as part of the name of a specific type of softer, more chewy biscuit e. g. the "chocolate chip cookie".

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 Her Majesty's Customs and Excise claimed was a biscuit and was therefore liable to value added tax. McVitie's is a snack food brand owned by United Biscuits. The name derives from the original Scottish biscuit maker McVitie & Price Ltd Jaffa Cakes are a popular type of biscuit-like cake in Ireland and the United Kingdom. Value added tax ( VAT) or goods and services tax ( GST) is a consumption Tax levied on value added. The successful defence rested on the fact that 'biscuits go soft when stale, whereas cakes go hard when stale.

In Britain, the digestive biscuit has a strong cultural identity as the traditional accompaniment to a cup of tea, and is regularly eaten as such. A digestive biscuit, sometimes referred to as a sweetmeal biscuit, is a semi-sweet Biscuit or Cookie, popular in the United Kingdom, in Tea refers to the cured agricultural product of the leaves leaf buds and internodes of Camellia sinensis, which have been prepared and cured for the market Many tea drinkers "dunk" their biscuits in tea, allowing them to absorb liquid and soften slightly before consumption. To dunk is to dip Biscuit, Bread, Cake, or Doughnut into a Beverage, especially Tea, coffee, or cold milk

Although there are many regional varieties, both sweet and savoury, "biscuit" is generally used to describe the sweet version. is one of the five Basic tastes sensed by specialized receptor cells present on the human Tongue. 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 (such as cream crackers, water biscuits or crisp breads) are plainer and commonly eaten with cheese following a meal. A cream cracker is a flat usually square savoury Biscuit. It is similar to a Matzo, although typically thicker and approximately 8 cm square Crisp bread ( Swedish: knäckebröd, hårt bröd, spisbröd, Danish: knækbrød, Norwegian: knekkebrød Cheese is a Food made from Milk, usually the milk of cows, Buffalo, Goats or sheep, by coagulation. ^[1]

Generally, Australians, New Zealanders and the Irish use the British meaning of "biscuit" (colloquially referred to as bickie or biccie or bikkie) for the sweet biscuit. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island The Irish people ( Irish: Muintir na hÉireann, na hÉireannaigh, na Gaeil) are a Western European Ethnic group who originate Two famous Australasian biscuit varieties are the ANZAC biscuit and the Tim Tam. ANZAC Biscuits are a sweet biscuit made using Rolled oats, flour coconut sugar butter Golden syrup, bicarbonate of soda and boiling water Tim Tams are a Chocolate Biscuit made by Arnott's Biscuits, Australia.

Despite the difference, this sense is at the root of the name of the United States' most prominent maker of cookies and crackers, the National Biscuit Company (now called Nabisco). Nabisco (originally known as Na tional Bis cuit Co mpany is a brand of Cookies and Snacks including brands such as Chips Ahoy!

Biscuits in North American usage

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. Phonology North American English regional phonology In many ways compared to English English, North American English is conservative in its Phonology. Bread is a Staple food prepared by Baking a Dough of Flour and Water. Baking powder is a dry chemical Leavening agent used in cooking mainly baking Sodium bicarbonate or sodium hydrogen carbonate is the Chemical compound with the formula NaHCO3 A leavening agent (sometimes called just leavening or leaven) is a substance used in Doughs and batters that causes a foaming action intended Yeasts are a growth form of eukaryotic Microorganisms classified in the kingdom Fungi, with about 1500 Species currently described (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. Cornbread is a generic name for any number of Quick breads (a bread leavened chemically rather than by Yeast) containing Cornmeal. A quick bread is a type of Bread which is Leavened with chemical leaveners such as Baking powder, Sodium bicarbonate, or Cream of tartar )

Biscuits are extremely soft and similar to scones. The scone is a British snack of Scottish origin A small quickbread made of Wheat, Barley or Oatmeal, usually with In the United States, there is a growing tendency to refer to sweet variations as "scone" and to the savory as a "biscuit", though there are exceptions for both (such as the cheese scone). is one of the five Basic tastes sensed by specialized receptor cells present on the human Tongue. A sweet biscuit served with a topping of fruit and juice is called shortcake. Shortcake is a sweet Biscuit (in the American sense that is a crumbly Baking soda - or Baking powder -leavened Bread, known in British In Canada, both sweet and savory are referred to as "biscuits", "baking powder biscuits" or "tea biscuits", although "scone" is also starting to be used.

Biscuits are a common feature of Southern U.S. cuisine and are often made with buttermilk. See also List of foods of the Southern United States The Cuisine of the Southern United States is defined as the regional culinary form of states Buttermilk is a Fermented dairy product produced from Cow's milk with a characteristically sour taste 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. Butter is a Dairy product made by churning fresh or fermented Cream or Milk. Molasses or Treacle is a thick Syrup by-product from the processing of the Sugarcane or Sugar beet into Sugar. Sweet sorghum is any of the many varieties of Sorghum which have a high sugar content Honey is a sweet and Viscous fluid produced by Honey bees (and some other species and derived from the nectar of Flowers According to the With other meals they are usually eaten with butter or gravy instead of sweet condiments. However, biscuits and gravy (biscuits covered in country gravy) are usually served for breakfast, sometimes as the main course. Biscuits and gravy is a popular breakfast dish in the southern parts of the United States Gravy is an English Sauce made often from the juices that run naturally from meat or vegetables during cooking

A common variation on basic biscuits is "cheese biscuits", made by adding grated Cheddar or American cheese to the basic recipe. Cheddar cheese is a relatively hard pale yellow to off-white and sometimes sharp-tasting Cheese from the English village of Cheddar, in Somerset This article refers specifically to one type of cheese For other cheeses of the United States see List of American cheeses.

American biscuits can be prepared for baking in several ways. The dough can be rolled out flat and cut into rounds, which expand when baked into flaky-layered cylinders. If extra liquid is added, the dough's texture changes to resemble stiff pancake batter so that small spoonfuls can be dropped into the baking sheet to produce "drop biscuits", which are more amorphous in texture and shape. Large drop biscuits, because of their size and rough exterior texture, are sometimes referred to as "cat head biscuits". Pre-shaped ready-to-bake biscuits can also be purchased in supermarkets, in the form of small refrigerated cylinders of dough.

Biscuits are now ubiquitous throughout the U. S. and feature prominently in many fast food breakfast sandwiches. Fast food is the term given to food that can be prepared and served very quickly A sandwich is a food item made of two or more slices of Bread with one or more layers of a filling The biscuit sandwich burst onto the scene primarily through the Hardee's chain of restaurants as an answer to the McDonald's Egg McMuffin. Hardee's is an American Fast-food restaurant chain located mostly in the Midwest United States and Southeast regions The Egg McMuffin is the signature Breakfast sandwich sold by the Fast-food restaurant chain McDonald's. 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, Church's Chicken, Chicken Express, and Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits. Fried chicken (also referred to as Southern Fried chicken) is chicken which is dipped in a Breading mixture and then deep fried, pan Kentucky Fried Chicken, usually known as KFC, is a chain of Fast food restaurants based in Louisville Kentucky. Church's Chicken is a US chain of Fast food Restaurants specializing in Fried chicken. Chicken Express is a small regional chain of Fast food Drive-through Restaurants concentrated in the Southern United States. Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits (often referred to as Popeyes) is a chain of Fried chicken Fast food restaurants owned since 1993 by the Atlanta

Beaten biscuits

Beaten biscuits date from the 1800s [1] and are a Southern U. S. food. They differ from a regular biscuit in that they are more like hardtack instead of soft because the dough is beaten with a hard object or against a hard surface for at least a half hour. Hardtack (or hard tack) is a simple type of cracker or Biscuit, made from Flour, water and Salt. They are also pricked with a fork prior to baking and are usually smaller than a regular biscuit. These are the biscuits traditionally used in "ham biscuits", also known as hog cakes, a traditional Southern canapé, which are simply tiny sandwiches of these bite-sized biscuits sliced horizontally, spread with butter, jelly, mustard, filled with pieces of country ham, or sopped up with gravy or syrup. A canapé or canape (Spanish/French for couch and known in Italy as tartina) is a small prepared and usually decorative food held in the Mustard is a thick yellowish-brown paste with a sharp taste made from the ground seeds of a Mustard plant (white or yellow mustard Sinapis hirta Country ham or Virginia ham is a variety of cured ham from the United States, associated with the Southern United States.

Dog biscuits

Dog biscuits are a dog treat intended as a dietary supplement to dog food, similar to any human snack food. The dog ( Canis lupus familiaris) is a domesticated Subspecies of the gray wolf, a Mammal of the Canidae family of the order Dog food is Plant or Animal material intended for consumption by Dogs or other canines Special types of dog food given as a reward and not as A snack food (commonly called a snack) is seen in Western culture as a type of food not meant to be eaten as a main Meal of the day – Breakfast Dog biscuits are widely sold in the U. S. Dog biscuits tend to be hard and dry, much like the British definition of a biscuit, and totally unlike the American definition. Unlike British human biscuits, however, dog biscuits are frequently sold in a flat bone-shape (as might be made using a bone-shaped cookie cutter). A cookie cutter is a tool to cut out Cookie Dough in a particular shape Some dog biscuit manufacturers claim the dry and hard biscuit texture helps clean the dog's teeth while the biscuit is being eaten, promoting better oral health.

See also

• Rusk
• Zwieback

References

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