Biscuit

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For other uses, see Biscuit (disambiguation).

A biscuit is a type of food. The exact meaning varies in different parts of the world. The origin of the word biscuit is from a Middle French word meaning "twice cooked".

1 British English meaning
- 1.1 Varieties
2 American English meaning
3 See also
4 External link

British English meaning

In British English and Australian English, a biscuit is a hard baked product which in North America may be called a "cookie" or "cracker", it should be noted however that it has become increasing common within England and Australia for cookie to be used to differentiate between the softer more chewy cookie and the harder more brittle biscuit. 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, are plainer and commonly eaten with cheese following a meal.

Generally Australians use the British English meaning of biscuit. A famous Australian biscuit is the Tim Tam.

A basic biscuit recipe includes flour, shortening (often lard), baking powder or soda, milk (buttermilk or sweet milk) and sugar. Common savoury variations involve substituting sugar with an ingredient such as cheese.

Varieties

Common biscuit types include:

American English meaning

In American English, however, "biscuit" means a form of bread similar to a roll made with baking powder or baking soda as a rising agent rather than yeast (rolls made with yeast are often called "yeast rolls" to distinguish them, and biscuits, soda breads, and corn bread are sometimes referred to collectively as "quick bread").

Biscuits are a common feature of Southern U.S. cuisine, often made with buttermilk. They are similar to scones but served as a side dish with a main meal or as a breakfast item. Biscuits are often eaten with molasses, butter, and jam or jelly. In a dish called biscuits and gravy, biscuits are covered in "country" or white gravy usually made from bacon or sausage drippings, and occasionally with added sausage bits or patties. Biscuits also feature prominently in many fast food breakfast sandwiches.