English vs English

[Battra92]

Most recipes say you can substitute graham crackers with digestive biscuits so I wouldn't go to mad looking for them.

 

They are similar but graham crackers are made with Graham flour instead of plain old white or even whole wheat flour. They get their name from Sylvester Graham, a Presbyterian minister who thought eating spicy foods lead to lust. Interesting guy ...

 

The original crackers weren't much like the new ones. Graham Crackers are also a full half century older than their English cousins. I'll have to try making them sometime. I'd report that in the food thread, of course.

[TheFlyingGerbil]

I know more about graham crackers than I ever wanted to since it seems like every single American desert recipe on the internet uses them*. I believe (though only from reading as they don't have them over here) that compared to digestives a graham cracker is denser and more snappy than crumbly so I guess more like a sweet cracker texture than a biscuit so we don;t have an exact copy over here. Strangely some recipes suggest substituting ritz crackers, when I couldn't imagine two biscuits more different than digestives and ritz.

 

*Possible use of hyperbole.

[TheMightyEthan]

Yeah, they're definitely more of a cracker texture than a cookie (which I believe is what you're referring to when you say biscuit).

 

And you haven't lived until you've had s'mores.

[Faiblesse Des Sens]

I know more about graham crackers than I ever wanted to since it seems like every single American desert recipe on the internet uses them*. I believe (though only from reading as they don't have them over here) that compared to digestives a graham cracker is denser and more snappy than crumbly so I guess more like a sweet cracker texture than a biscuit so we don;t have an exact copy over here. Strangely some recipes suggest substituting ritz crackers, when I couldn't imagine two biscuits more different than digestives and ritz.

 

*Possible use of hyperbole.

 

Like a harder, snappier sweet flavored ritz.

[deanb]

When we say biscuit it's covering a rather broad range of sweet baked goods. When we're talking cookies it's a very specific type of biscuit.

 

 

Biscuits

 

 

cookies (chocolate chip to be exact)

 

However wiki tells me these are what you'd call cookies

The ones on the top n bottom right are what we'd call cookies, one in the middles are gingerbread ...men/people(it depends if folks are being PC or not)

 

In fact, what do you guys call the things we call cookies? We have names for all sorts of biscuits(digestives, nice, hobnobs, rich tea, melting moments, hovis etc), but if you're using cookies in place of biscuit as a whole..then what is the chocolate chip thing?

[TheMightyEthan]

but if you're using cookies in place of biscuit as a whole..then what is the chocolate chip thing?

A chocolate chip cookie? Unless you're talking about the things on the left, in which case they have a name but I can't think of it off the top of my head, but it's still considered a type of cookie.

 

We'd call the things in the middle ginger bread men too, but all a ginger bread man is is a ginger bread cookie that's shaped like a man.

[Faiblesse Des Sens]

When we say biscuit it's covering a rather broad range of sweet baked goods. When we're talking cookies it's a very specific type of biscuit.

 

 

Biscuits

 

 

cookies (chocolate chip to be exact)

 

However wiki tells me these are what you'd call cookies

The ones on the top n bottom right are what we'd call cookies, one in the middles are gingerbread ...men/people(it depends if folks are being PC or not)

 

In fact, what do you guys call the things we call cookies? We have names for all sorts of biscuits(digestives, nice, hobnobs, rich tea, melting moments, hovis etc), but if you're using cookies in place of biscuit as a whole..then what is the chocolate chip thing?

 

You sort of got it. We just generalize a ton of stuff under "cookie."

[deanb]

So if someone offers a cookie, how'd you differentiate between all cookies and cookies. Like I could ask if someone wants a biscuit, which would be offering a selection, but if I offered a cookie it'd be the chocolate chip type biscuit. (should note they're not always chocolate chip, but it seems everyone in the example pictures is)

[fuchikoma]

In my experience, a sweetened/candied biscuit is a cookie. A thin flour wafer flavoured with salt, cheese or spices is a cracker. A "biscuit" in Canada is often a kind of roll (I guess?), sort of like what you'd get if you made a dumpling recipe and then baked them instead of stewing. Typically leavened with baking powder.

[Luftwaffles]

So if someone offers a cookie, how'd you differentiate between all cookies and cookies.

 

I just accept my cookie and eat it. I can think about the kind when it gets in my belly.

Edited December 7, 2011 by Sporkwaffles

[Faiblesse Des Sens]

So if someone offers a cookie, how'd you differentiate between all cookies and cookies. Like I could ask if someone wants a biscuit, which would be offering a selection, but if I offered a cookie it'd be the chocolate chip type biscuit. (should note they're not always chocolate chip, but it seems everyone in the example pictures is)

 

From there, you figure out what kind. Chocolate chip are just the most common.

 

A "biscuit" in Canada is often a kind of roll (I guess?), sort of like what you'd get if you made a dumpling recipe and then baked them instead of stewing. Typically leavened with baking powder.

 

Same in the states.

[deanb]

that Canadian "biscuit" is a scone. (pronounced as in gone, not as in stone, unless you're an uncivilized lout). They're both savoury and sweet, depends on what you put in them.

 

@FDS: But how do you figure out what kind, or is it pretty much a case of physically bringing over the box of biscuits(cookies)

[P4: Gritty Reboot]

We just describe them: chocolate chip cookie, peanut butter cookie, Oreo cookie, gingerbread men (which we say too), sugar cookie, sandwich cookie, etc.

 

Edit: thought of a few more--snickerdoodles, ginger snaps, biscotti...

[TheMightyEthan]

@FDS: But how do you figure out what kind, or is it pretty much a case of physically bringing over the box of biscuits(cookies)

By asking.

 

"What kind"

 

Acceptable responses include:

 

chocolate chip

oatmeal

Oreos

snicker doodles

sugar cookies

ginger bread

peanut butter

etc etc

 

*Edit* - lol, looks like I was third in line.

Edited December 7, 2011 by TheMightyEthan

[P4: Gritty Reboot]

LOL leave it to us Americans to viciously defend our cookie nomenclature.

[fuchikoma]

So over here, biscuits are crackers and cookies, and scones are biscuits... This is starting to remind me of the whole Street Fighter 2 Balrog/Vega/Bison thing!

[TheMightyEthan]

Huh, when I read scone I always imagined something like a hard crescent roll (what the hell, the Wikipedia "crescent roll" article redirects to croissant, and I am definitely not talking about a croissant...), didn't realize it was just a regular old biscuit.

 

*Edit* - This is what a crescent roll should look like:

 

Edited December 7, 2011 by TheMightyEthan

[deanb]

 

We have crackers too.

 

I'm gonna trust you guys figure it out with regards to the cookie/cookie thing.

[TheMightyEthan]

Yep, we'd call those crackers too.

[fuchikoma]

Also if it hasn't been covered yet, crisps become potato chips and chips become "French fries." I'm betting that's common knowledge, at least on the British side.

 

...but what do you call nachos/corn chips?

[deanb]

We call Nachos nachos. It's a Mexican word after all. (and tacos n fajitas n such)

 

And yes, crisp/chips are a very very early one. Though we do call the thinner chips fried. What we have as chips are close what you guys would call steak fries.

[fuchikoma]

Ah, cool. I know we have a lot of loanwords over here that may not have come back over, so I wasn't sure. I thought "corn chips" would sound a bit weird given the crisps/chips/fries shift.

 

This is a great series of videos on English origins and mutations. I'm just hoping I haven't forgotten that it was already on here(?) This thread is getting massive!

 

 

Edited December 7, 2011 by fuchikoma

[Battra92]

A "biscuit" in Canada is often a kind of roll (I guess?), sort of like what you'd get if you made a dumpling recipe and then baked them instead of stewing. Typically leavened with baking powder.

 

Not quite. A roll usually prefers to a small round piece of bread that has not been cut from a larger loaf. It is almost always a yeast leavened bread.

 

A biscuit (and Southerners can get pretty defensive on this) is a small chemical leavened bread (as in, no yeast) that is either dropped from a spoon or pressed out and rolled. Making these is an art form as you want to produce as little gluten as possible.

 

The term biscuit comes from the Middle French bescuit, which means "Twice Baked." This is because biscuits were originally baked once and then dried out (for long storage) in a slow dry oven.

 

Which segues me into another food related difference:

 

 

Hardtack, Seabiscuits, Hard Crackers, Pilot Biscuits, a.k.a food from Hell itself. These are unleavened bread squares (sometimes circles) that are simply flour, water and salt. They were often infested with maggots yet strangely had an obscenely long shelf life. There is an unconfirmed story that the US Government had leftover hardtack from the end of the Civil War and issued it to soldiers in the Spanish-American war ... some 35 years later!

 

The best thing is that those begat these little yeast leavened treats.

 

We call them Saltines here or occasionally "soda crackers." What do you guys in the UK call them? Do you even have them? I didn't see any in the markets (mostly Sainsbury) during my trip.

[Hot Heart]

I'm sure I've had them before but as very small things in part of some biscuit pick 'n' mix pack. Like 'nibbles' for a party.

 

As far as crackers go, I love Scottish oatcakes. Apparently, there are regional differences, but this is very much like a biscuit.

[SomTervo]

They look like Tucs? Salty little brittle biscuit things. I love Tucs, especially with a little bit cheese.

 

 

And yeah, Oatcakes are definitely great. One of my favourite snacks is Wensleydale with cranberry in, smoothed over a good oatcake. So tasty. Oatcakes are good in the morning, too. And surprisingly good with beansy things. I think more stuff should be done with oatcakes.

Edited December 10, 2011 by kenshi_ryden