{"id":3782,"date":"2021-06-05T21:56:43","date_gmt":"2021-06-05T17:26:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/prasana.cookiemooki.com\/?p=3782"},"modified":"2021-08-12T13:53:17","modified_gmt":"2021-08-12T09:23:17","slug":"what-is-a-biscuit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cookiemooki.com\/en\/what-is-a-biscuit\/","title":{"rendered":"What is a biscuit?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A <strong>biscuit<\/strong> is a <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Flour\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">flour-based<\/a> baked food product. In most countries, particularly in the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Commonwealth_of_Nations\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Commonwealth<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ireland\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Ireland<\/a>, biscuits are typically hard, flat and <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Unleavened\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">unleavened<\/a>. They are usually sweet and may be made with <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Sugar\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">sugar<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Chocolate\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">chocolate<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Icing_(food)\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">icing<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Jam\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">jam<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ginger\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">ginger<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cinnamon\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">cinnamon<\/a>. They can also be savoury and similar to <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cracker_(food)\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">crackers<\/a>. Types of biscuit include <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Sandwich_biscuit\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">sandwich biscuits<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Digestive_biscuit\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">digestive biscuits<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ginger_biscuit\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">ginger biscuits<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Shortbread\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">shortbread<\/a> biscuits, <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Chocolate_chip_cookie\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">chocolate chip cookies<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Chocolate-coated_marshmallow_treats\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">chocolate-coated marshmallow treats<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Anzac_biscuit\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Anzac biscuits<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Biscotti\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><em>biscotti<\/em><\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Speculaas\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><em>speculaas<\/em><\/a>. In most of North America, nearly all hard sweet biscuits are called &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cookie\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">cookies<\/a>&#8220;, while the term &#8220;biscuit&#8221; refers to a soft, leavened <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Quick_bread\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">quick bread<\/a> similar to a <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Scone\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">scone<\/a>, for which see <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Biscuit_(bread)\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">biscuit (bread)<\/a>.<strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Variations in meaning<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>In <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/English_in_the_Commonwealth_of_Nations\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Commonwealth<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Hiberno-English\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Hiberno-English<\/a>, a biscuit is a small baked product that would be called either a &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cookie\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">cookie<\/a>&#8221; or a &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cracker_(food)\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">cracker<\/a>&#8221; in the United States and most of <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/English-speaking_Canada\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">English-speaking Canada<\/a>. Biscuits in the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and Ireland are hard and may be savoury or sweet, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Chocolate\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">chocolate<\/a> biscuits, <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Digestive_biscuit\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">digestives<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Hobnob_biscuit\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">hobnobs<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ginger_nuts\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">ginger nuts<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Rich_tea\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">rich tea<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Shortbread\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">shortbread<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Bourbon_biscuit\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">bourbons<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Custard_cream\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">custard creams<\/a>. In Commonwealth nations and Ireland, the term &#8220;cookie&#8221; typically refers to only one type of biscuit (the sweeter baked dough typically containing chocolate chips or raisins); however, it may also locally refer to specific types of biscuits or breads.<\/li><li>In the United States and some parts of English Canada, a <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Biscuit_(bread)\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">&#8220;biscuit&#8221;<\/a> is a <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Quick_bread\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">quick bread<\/a>, somewhat similar to a <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Scone_(bread)\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">scone<\/a>, and usually unsweetened. Biscuits are usually referred to as either &#8220;baking powder biscuits&#8221; or &#8220;buttermilk biscuits&#8221; if <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Buttermilk\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">buttermilk<\/a> is used rather than milk as a liquid. A Southern regional variation using the term &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Beaten_biscuit\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">beaten biscuit<\/a>&#8221; (or in New England &#8220;sea biscuit&#8221;) is closer to <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Hardtack\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">hardtack<\/a> than soft dough biscuits.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Etymology<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The modern-day difference in the English language regarding the word &#8220;biscuit&#8221; is provided by British cookery writer <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Elizabeth_David\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Elizabeth David<\/a> in <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/English_Bread_and_Yeast_Cookery\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><em>English Bread and Yeast Cookery<\/em><\/a>, in the chapter &#8220;Yeast Buns and Small Tea Cakes&#8221; and section &#8220;Soft Biscuits&#8221;. She writes,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is interesting that these soft biscuits (such as scones) are common to <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Scotland\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Scotland<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Guernsey\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Guernsey<\/a>, and that the term biscuit as applied to a soft product was retained in these places, and in America, whereas in England it has completely died out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Old_French\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Old French<\/a> word <em>bescuit<\/em> is derived from the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Latin_language\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Latin<\/a> words <em>bis<\/em> (twice) and <em>coquere<\/em>, <em>coctus<\/em> (to cook, cooked), and, hence, means &#8220;twice-cooked&#8221;. This is because biscuits were originally cooked in a twofold process: first baked, and then dried out in a slow oven. This term was then adapted into English in the 14th century during the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Middle_Ages\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Middle Ages<\/a>, in the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Middle_English\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Middle English<\/a> word <em>bisquite<\/em>, to represent a hard, twice-baked product (see the German <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Zwieback\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Zwieback<\/a>). The <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Dutch_language\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Dutch language<\/a> from around 1703 had adopted the word <em>koekje<\/em> (&#8220;little cake&#8221;) to have a similar meaning for a similar hard, baked product. The difference between the secondary Dutch word and that of Latin origin is that, whereas the <em>koekje<\/em> is a cake that rises during baking, the biscuit, which has no raising agent, in general does not (see <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Gingerbread\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">gingerbread<\/a>\/<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ginger_biscuit\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">ginger biscuit<\/a>), except for the expansion of heated air during baking.<sup>[<\/sup><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Wikipedia:Citation_needed\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><em><sup>citation needed<\/sup><\/em><\/a><sup>]<\/sup> Another cognate Dutch form is beschuit, which is a circular and brittle grain product usually covered by savoury or sweet toppings and eaten at breakfast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When continental Europeans began to emigrate to colonial North America, the two words and their &#8220;same but different&#8221; meanings began to clash. The words <em>cookie<\/em> or <em>cracker<\/em> became the words of choice to mean a hard, baked product. Further confusion has been added by the adoption of the word biscuit for a small leavened bread popular in the United States. According to the American English <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Dictionary\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">dictionary<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Merriam-Webster\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Merriam-Webster<\/a>, a cookie is a &#8220;small flat or slightly raised cake&#8221;. A biscuit is &#8220;any of various hard or crisp dry baked product&#8221; similar to the American English terms cracker or cookie, or &#8220;a small quick bread made from dough that has been rolled out and cut or dropped from a spoon&#8221;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a number of other European languages, terms derived from the Latin <em>bis coctus<\/em> refer instead to yet another baked product, similar to the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Sponge_cake\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">sponge cake<\/a>; e.g. Spanish <em>bizcocho<\/em>, German <em>Biskuit<\/em>, Russian <em>\u0431\u0438\u0441\u043a\u0432\u0438\u0442<\/em> (<em>biskvit<\/em>), Polish <em>biszkopt<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In modern Italian usage, the term <em>biscotto<\/em> is used to refer to any type of hard twice-baked biscuit, and not only to the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Biscotto\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><em>cantuccini<\/em><\/a> as in English-speaking countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>History<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Biscuits for travel<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The need for nutritious, easy-to-store, easy-to-carry, and long-lasting foods on long journeys, in particular at sea, was initially solved by taking live food along with a butcher\/<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cook_(profession)\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">cook<\/a>. However, this took up additional space on what were either horse-powered treks or small ships, reducing the time of travel before additional food was required. This resulted in early armies&#8217; adopting the style of hunter-<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Foraging\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">foraging<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The introduction of the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Baking\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">baking<\/a> of processed cereals including the creation of flour provided a more reliable source of food. <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Egypt\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Egyptian<\/a> sailors carried a flat, brittle loaf of <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Millet\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">millet<\/a> bread called <em>dhourra<\/em> cake while the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ancient_Rome\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Romans<\/a> had a biscuit called <em>buccellum<\/em>. Roman cookbook <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Apicius\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Apicius<\/em><\/a> describes: &#8220;a thick paste of fine wheat flour was boiled and spread out on a plate. When it had dried and hardened, it was cut up and then fried until crisp, then served with honey and pepper.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many early physicians believed that most medicinal problems were associated with <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Digestion\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">digestion<\/a>. Hence, for both sustenance and avoidance of illness, a daily consumption of a biscuit was considered good for health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hard biscuits soften as they age. To solve this problem, early bakers attempted to create the hardest biscuit possible. Because it is so hard and dry, if properly stored and transported, navies&#8217; <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Hardtack\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">hardtack<\/a> will survive rough handling and high temperature. <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Baking\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Baked<\/a> hard, it can be kept without spoiling for years as long as it is kept dry. For long voyages, hardtack was baked four times, rather than the more common two. To soften hardtack for eating, it was often dunked in <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Brine\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">brine<\/a>, coffee, or some other liquid or <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cooking\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">cooked<\/a> into a skillet meal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the time of the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Spanish_Armada\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Spanish Armada<\/a> in 1588, the daily allowance on board a <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Royal_Navy\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Royal Navy<\/a> ship was one pound of biscuit plus one gallon of beer. <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Samuel_Pepys\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Samuel Pepys<\/a> in 1667 first regularised naval victualling with varied and nutritious rations. Royal Navy hardtack during <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Queen_Victoria\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Queen Victoria<\/a>&#8216;s reign was made by machine at the Royal Clarence Victualling Yard at <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Gosport\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Gosport<\/a>, Hampshire, stamped with the Queen&#8217;s mark and the number of the oven in which they were baked. When machinery was introduced into the process the dough was thoroughly mixed and rolled into sheets about 2 yards (1.8&nbsp;m) long and 1 yard (0.9&nbsp;m) wide which were stamped in one stroke into about sixty hexagonal shaped biscuits. This left the sheets sufficiently coherent to be placed in the oven in one piece and when baked they were easy to separate. The hexagonal shape rather than traditional circular biscuits meant a saving in material and were easier to pack. Biscuits remained an important part of the Royal Navy sailor&#8217;s diet until the introduction of <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Canned_food\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">canned foods<\/a>. Canned meat was first marketed in 1814; preserved beef in tins was officially added to <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Royal_Navy\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Royal Navy<\/a> rations in 1847.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Confectionery biscuits<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Early biscuits were hard, dry, and unsweetened. They were most often cooked after bread, in a cooling bakers&#8217; oven; they were a cheap form of sustenance for the poor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By the 7th century AD, cooks of the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Persian_empire\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Persian empire<\/a> had learnt from their forebears the techniques of lightening and enriching bread-based mixtures with eggs, butter, and cream, and sweetening them with fruit and honey. One of the earliest spiced biscuits was <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Gingerbread\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">gingerbread<\/a>, in French, <em>pain d&#8217;\u00e9pices<\/em>, meaning &#8220;spice bread&#8221;, brought to Europe in 992 by the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Armenians\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Armenian<\/a> monk Gr\u00e9goire de <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Nicopolis\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Nicopolis<\/a>. He left Nicopolis Pompeii, of <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Lesser_Armenia\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Lesser Armenia<\/a> to live in <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Bondaroy\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Bondaroy<\/a>, France, near the town of <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Pithiviers\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Pithiviers<\/a>. He stayed there for seven years and taught French priests and Christians how to cook gingerbread. This was originally a dense, <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Molasses\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">treaclely<\/a> (molasses-based) spice cake or bread. As it was so expensive to make, early <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ginger_biscuits\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">ginger biscuits<\/a> were a cheap form of using up the leftover bread mix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With the combination of the Muslim <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Al-Andalus\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">invasion of the Iberian Peninsula<\/a>, and then the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Crusades\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Crusades<\/a> developing the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Spice_trade\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">spice trade<\/a>, the cooking techniques and ingredients of Arabia spread into Northern Europe. By <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mediaeval\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">mediaeval<\/a> times, biscuits were made from a sweetened, spiced paste of breadcrumbs and then baked (e.g., gingerbread), or from cooked bread enriched with sugar and spices and then baked again. <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/King_Richard_I\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">King Richard I<\/a> of England (aka Richard the Lionheart) left for the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Third_Crusade\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Third Crusade<\/a> (1189\u201392) with &#8220;biskit of muslin&#8221;, which was a mixed corn compound of <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Barley\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">barley<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Rye\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">rye<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Bean\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">bean<\/a> flour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As the making and quality of bread had been controlled to this point, so were the skills of biscuit-making through the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Craft_guild\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">craft guilds<\/a>. As the supply of sugar began, and the refinement and supply of flour increased, so did the ability to sample more leisurely foodstuffs, including sweet biscuits. Early references from the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Vadstena_monastery\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Vadstena monastery<\/a> show how the Swedish <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Nun\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">nuns<\/a> were baking gingerbread to ease digestion in 1444. The first documented trade of gingerbread biscuits dates to the 16th century, where they were sold in monastery pharmacies and town square farmers markets. Gingerbread became widely available in the 18th century. The British biscuit firms of <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/McVitie%27s\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">McVitie&#8217;s<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Carr%27s\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Carr&#8217;s<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Huntley_%26_Palmer\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Huntley &amp; Palmer<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/United_Biscuits\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Crawfords<\/a> were all established by 1850.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Along with local farm produce of meat and cheese, many regions of the world have their own distinct style of biscuit due to the historic prominence of this form of food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Introduction in South Asia<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Biscuits and <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Loaf\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">loaves<\/a> were introduced in <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Bengal\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Bengal<\/a> during the British colonial period and received popularity within the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Sylhetis\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Sylheti<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Bengali_Muslim\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Muslim community<\/a>. However, the middle-class <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Hindus\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Hindus<\/a> of <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cachar\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Cachar<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Sylhet_region\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Sylhet<\/a> were very suspicious of biscuits and breads as they believed they were baked by Muslims. In one occasion, a few Hindus in Cachar caught some Englishman eating biscuits with tea which caused an uproar. The information reached the Hindus of Sylhet and a little rebellion occurred. In response to this, companies started to advertise their bread as &#8220;machine-made&#8221; and &#8220;untouched by (Muslim) hand&#8221; to tell Hindus that the breads were &#8220;safe for consumption&#8221;. This incident is mentioned in <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Bipin_Chandra_Pal\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Bipin Chandra Pal<\/a>&#8216;s autobiography and he mentions how gradually culinary habits of Hindus eventually changed and biscuits and loaves became increasingly popular.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Biscuits today<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Commonwealth of Nations and Europe<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most modern biscuits can trace their origins back to either the hardtack ship&#8217;s biscuit or the creative art of the baker:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Ship&#8217;s biscuit derived: <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Digestive_biscuit\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Digestive<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Rich_tea\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">rich tea<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Hobnobs\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">hobnobs<\/a><\/li><li>Baker&#8217;s art: <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Biscuit_rose_de_Reims\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Biscuit rose de Reims<\/em><\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Biscuits today can be <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Umami\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">savoury<\/a> or sweet, but most are small at around 5&nbsp;cm (2.0&nbsp;in) in diameter, and flat. The term biscuit also applies to <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Sandwich\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">sandwich<\/a>-type biscuits, wherein a layer of <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cream#Other_items_called_&quot;cream&quot;\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">&#8220;creme&#8221;<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Icing_(food)\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">icing<\/a> is sandwiched between two biscuits, such as the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Custard_cream\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">custard cream<\/a>, or a layer of jam (as in biscuits which, in the United Kingdom, are known as &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Jammie_Dodgers\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Jammie Dodgers<\/a>&#8220;).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sweet biscuits are commonly eaten as a <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Snack_food\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">snack food<\/a>, and are, in general, made with wheat flour or oats, and sweetened with sugar or honey. Varieties may contain chocolate, fruit, jam, nuts, ginger, or even be used to sandwich other fillings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Digestive_biscuit\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">digestive biscuit<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Rich_tea\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">rich tea<\/a> have a strong identity in British culture as the traditional accompaniment to a cup of tea and are regularly eaten as such. Some tea drinkers &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Dunking_(biscuit)\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">dunk<\/a>&#8221; biscuits in tea, allowing them to absorb liquid and soften slightly before consumption. <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Chocolate_digestive\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Chocolate digestives<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Rich_tea\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Rich tea<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Hobnobs\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Hobnobs<\/a> were ranked the UK&#8217;s top three favourite dunking biscuits in 2009. In a non-dunking poll the Chocolate Hobnob was ranked first with <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Custard_creams\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">custard creams<\/a> coming third.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Savoury biscuits or crackers (such as <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cream_cracker\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">cream crackers<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Water_biscuit\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">water biscuits<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Oatcake\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">oatcakes<\/a>, or <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Crisp_bread\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">crisp breads<\/a>) are usually plainer and commonly eaten with cheese following a meal. Many savoury biscuits also contain additional ingredients for flavour or texture, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Poppy_seed\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">poppy seeds<\/a>, onion or onion seeds, cheese (such as cheese melts), and olives. Savoury biscuits also usually have a dedicated section in most European supermarkets, often in the same aisle as sweet biscuits. The exception to savoury biscuits is the sweetmeal digestive known as the &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Hovis_biscuit\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Hovis biscuit<\/a>&#8220;, which, although slightly sweet, is still classified as a cheese biscuit. Savoury biscuits sold in supermarkets are sometimes associated with a certain geographical area, such as Scottish oatcakes or Cornish wafer biscuits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In general, the British, Australians, South Africans, New Zealanders, Indians, Bangladeshis, Pakistanis, Sri Lankans, Singaporeans, Nigerians, Kenyans, and the Irish use the British meaning of &#8220;biscuit&#8221; for the sweet biscuit, the terms biscuit and cookie are used interchangeably, depending on the region and the speaker, with biscuits usually referring to hard, sweet biscuits (such as digestives, Nice, Bourbon creams, etc.) and cookies for soft baked goods (i.e. chocolate chip cookies), In Canada, this term is now used less frequently, usually with imported brands of biscuits or in <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Maritimes\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">the Maritimes<\/a>; however, the Canadian <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/William_Mellis_Christie\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Christie Biscuits<\/a> referred to what Americans would call crackers. This sense is at the root of the name of the United States&#8217; most prominent maker of cookies and crackers, the National Biscuit Company, now called <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Nabisco\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Nabisco<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A biscuit is a flour-based baked food product. In most countries, particularly in the Commonwealth and Ireland, biscuits are typically hard, flat and unleavened. They are usually sweet and may be made with sugar, chocolate, icing, jam, ginger or cinnamon. They can also be savoury and similar to crackers. Types of biscuit include sandwich biscuits, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4039,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3782","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cookiemooki.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3782","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cookiemooki.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cookiemooki.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cookiemooki.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cookiemooki.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3782"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cookiemooki.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3782\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cookiemooki.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4039"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cookiemooki.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3782"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cookiemooki.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3782"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cookiemooki.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3782"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}