# What are biscuits known as in the UK? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 29, 2010, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-biscuits-known-as-in-the-uk/537714 "2010-04-29T03:58:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-biscuits-known-as-in-the-uk/537714/1 "2010-04-29T03:58:43Z")
Okay, I know that when a Brit says “biscuit,” he’s talking about something a Yank would call a “cookie.” But [this.](http://www.enterthehaven.net/pics/biscuit.jpg) Made [from this.](http://www.freshdirect.com/media/images/product/dairy/dai_pillsb_buttrbisc_01_p.jpg) Or even made from scratch. But it’s not sweetened. How do our friends in Old Blighty refer to such a morsel? ETA: also I think I meant for this to be in Cafe Society. If someone would notify a mod? ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-biscuits-known-as-in-the-uk/537714/2 "2010-04-29T04:04:10Z")
The first pic looks like what we in Aus would call a **scone** , a dough made from self-raising flour, butter and milk. (I know I’m not in the UK, but thought I’d butt in anyway). 😛 ---
**Author:** ![GilaB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@GilaB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GilaB)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-biscuits-known-as-in-the-uk/537714/3 "2010-04-29T04:10:03Z")
No idea, but I’ve notified the mods that you want to move the thread. ---
**Author:** ![King\_Bobo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c68b51/32.png) [@King\_Bobo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/King_Bobo)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-biscuits-known-as-in-the-uk/537714/4 "2010-04-29T05:02:42Z")
Brits call them scones, or sometimes even tea-cakes. Tim Hortons in Canada has raisin or cheese/ham teacakes. Yummy. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-biscuits-known-as-in-the-uk/537714/5 "2010-04-29T05:04:30Z")
Last time we had this conversation, I think we decided that this particular pastry just didn’t exist in Britain, and many Brits sat around trying to come up with similar ones instead. ETA: My experience with scones is that they are similar, but not quite the same. biscuits tend to be fluffier, for one thing. ---
**Author:** ![AboutAsWeirdAsYouCanGet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@AboutAsWeirdAsYouCanGet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AboutAsWeirdAsYouCanGet)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-biscuits-known-as-in-the-uk/537714/6 "2010-04-29T05:50:33Z")
> [@](#): > > Aus would call a scone, a dough made from self-raising flour, butter and milk. At the camp I attended as a teen there were some exchange counselors. I DISTINCTLY remember a debate in the dining hall over what the Brits called a biscuit ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-biscuits-known-as-in-the-uk/537714/7 "2010-04-29T06:17:38Z")
The fact that “Allrecipes” has a section labelled “Biscuits **and Scones** ” is telling, I think. [this](http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Sticky-Apple-Biscuits/Detail.aspx) is definitely a scone, I would say. (Also damn tasty-looking). _wanders purposefully to kitchen_ ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-biscuits-known-as-in-the-uk/537714/8 "2010-04-29T06:21:05Z")
> [@AboutAsWeirdAsYouCanGet](#): > > At the camp I attended as a teen there were some exchange counselors. I DISTINCTLY remember a debate in the dining hall over what the Brits called a biscuit I didn’t think we were arguing about what the Brits call ‘biscuits’. The question was what do folks from the UK call what AMERICANS call a biscuit. Slight, but important difference really. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Taenia\_spp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5e925/32.png) [@Taenia\_spp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taenia_spp)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-biscuits-known-as-in-the-uk/537714/9 "2010-04-29T06:27:40Z")
> [@Aspidistra](#): > > The fact that “Allrecipes” has a section labelled “Biscuits **and Scones** ” is telling, I think. > > [this](http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Sticky-Apple-Biscuits/Detail.aspx) is definitely a scone, I would say. (Also damn tasty-looking). > > _wanders purposefully to kitchen_ Uh no…that’s not a scone at all. That’s more of a generic ‘morning bun’ though it were made with a brioche-type dough it might be called a sticky bun. [This is more of a scone.](http://www.seductionmeals.com/Cranberry_Chocolate_Scone-thumb-480x480.jpg) A scone is essentially a biscuit but they’re not precisely the same thing. Scones typically have a slightly higher proportion of sugar, and all cream instead of milk, and the resulting dough is less developed than that of a biscuit. More importantly, scones usually incorporate some sort of fruit, typically currants or cranberries. ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-biscuits-known-as-in-the-uk/537714/10 "2010-04-29T06:54:58Z")
> [@Taenia\_spp](#): > > A scone is essentially a biscuit but they’re not precisely the same thing. Scones typically have a slightly higher proportion of sugar, and all cream instead of milk, and the resulting dough is less developed than that of a biscuit. More importantly, scones usually incorporate some sort of fruit, typically currants or cranberries. I guess this is why the OP asked the question he did, because whilst your above description might be true for where you live in the world, it certainly does not apply everywhere. Scones in Australia generally have NO added sugar (they are just flour, a little butter and some milk) although they can also be made with lemonade or yoghurt if you’re feeling adventurous. And sure, we do also have fruit scones, (and savoury too FTR) but they’re typically sultanas rather than currants: fresh cranberries are a rarity here. IOW, words for things change depending upon your home country. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-biscuits-known-as-in-the-uk/537714/11 "2010-04-29T07:13:50Z")
> [@Taenia\_spp](#): > > . More importantly, scones usually incorporate some sort of fruit, typically currants or cranberries. I’m guessing that you aren’t a Brit. 1. Scones made with milk, not cream. The cream bit comes when you break them open, often with a dollop of jam for true decadence 2. Fruit can be added to the mix, but in my experience they are usually prepared plain when homebaked. If you were to add fruit then it would be currants or sultannas. Cranberries are not a feature of Brit or Aussie baking. > [@](#): > > From: Australian Women’s Weekly magazine August 2007 > > 2 1/2 cups self-raising flour > 1 tablespoon caster sugar > 1/4 teaspoon salt > 30g butter > 3/4 cup (180ml) milk > 1/2 cup (125ml) water, approximately > > Preheat oven to very hot (250 degrees Celsius or 230 degrees Celsius fan-forced). Grease a deep 19cm square cake pan. > > Sift flour, sugar and salt into a large bowl; rub in butter with fingertips. Add milk and almost all of the water. Using a knife, “cut” the milk and water through the flour mixture to form a soft, sticky dough. Add remaining water only if needed for correct consistency. > > Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface; knead quickly and lightly until smooth. > > Use hand to press dough out evenly to 2cm thickness. > > Dip a 4.5cm cutter into flour, cut as many rounds as you can from the piece of dough. Place scones side by side, just touching, in prepared pan. Gently knead scraps of dough together and repeat pressing and cutting out of dough. Place rounds in prepared pan; brush tops with a little extra milk. > > Bake scones in a very hot oven for about 15 minutes. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-biscuits-known-as-in-the-uk/537714/12 "2010-04-29T07:18:38Z")
Oh shit … now I’m going to cop a bollocking from kam over whether there there is sugar in an Aussie scone mix. :eek: The difference between scones and damper. ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-biscuits-known-as-in-the-uk/537714/13 "2010-04-29T07:30:10Z")
I think the real question here is what do Americans call “biscuits”? ETA: Looked it up. Little bready things. OK. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-biscuits-known-as-in-the-uk/537714/14 "2010-04-29T08:03:40Z")
We don’t have American-style biscuits. As others have noted, we have scones, which are similar, but we don’t have such a thing as ‘biscuits and gravy’. There are some casserole recipes that are topped with scone-style dumplings that might approxiomate the experience of eating biscuits and gravy. And we have _bread and gravy_ (at the end of a meal, when the kids are still hungry and there’s only gravy left), but we don’t have biscuits and gravy unless we’re consciouly imitating American cuisine. We don’t have cornbread either (cornmeal itself has been pretty rare in the shops until fairly recently). On the UK ‘biscuits’ vs US ‘cookies’ thing, there isn’t perfect alignment. UK ‘biscuits’ are usually crisp, sweetened, thinnish baked-dry things - I think these are sometimes termed ‘crackers’ in the USA. We do have cookies in the UK and they are: -Usually of not perfectly regular thickness -Often of not perfectly regular shape or size -Usually containing inclusions such as chocolate chips or raisins -Often chewy -Often sweeter than biscuits (We do also have ‘crackers’ - and these are usually some kind of dry water biscuit - most popularly eaten with cheese) ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-biscuits-known-as-in-the-uk/537714/15 "2010-04-29T08:11:42Z")
In my experience, there is a good deal of overlap between what is a British scone and an American biscuit. My first time in Britain, I was actually quite a bit surprised at what a British scone tasted like. At the time, for me, it was pretty much indistinguishable from an American biscuit. The only difference I remember is that the ones I ate always had raisins in them, but otherwise they weren’t sweet like American stones, and the texture was pretty much that of a biscuit. Maybe slightly crumblier, but not much. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-biscuits-known-as-in-the-uk/537714/16 "2010-04-29T08:25:33Z")
Yeah, but are _jaffa cakes_ biscuits? ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-biscuits-known-as-in-the-uk/537714/17 "2010-04-29T08:32:32Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > We don’t have American-style biscuits. As others have noted, we have scones, which are similar, but we don’t have such a thing as ‘biscuits and gravy’. And it is our loss. There is nothing finer than biscuits and gravy, but whenever I try to recreate the delights I have tasted in my many visits to the US, it always goes wrong - particularly in that the biscuits never rise properly. And the sausage doesn’t taste as good. ---
**Author:** ![ColdPhoenix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@ColdPhoenix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ColdPhoenix)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-biscuits-known-as-in-the-uk/537714/18 "2010-04-29T08:44:17Z")
I came in to offer my opinion but see that \*\*Mangetout \*\*has covered it perfectly. ---
**Author:** ![Blue\_Mood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@Blue\_Mood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blue_Mood)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 8:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-biscuits-known-as-in-the-uk/537714/19 "2010-04-29T08:47:54Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > We don’t have American-style biscuits. As others have noted, we have scones, which are similar, but we don’t have such a thing as ‘biscuits and gravy’ That’s right - there is really no word here for an American biscuit. ---
**Author:** ![Kal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de053/32.png) [@Kal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kal)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 9:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-biscuits-known-as-in-the-uk/537714/20 "2010-04-29T09:47:07Z")
KFC in the UK did serve US-style biscuits as part of some meal deal at one point; I had them in the late '80s/early '90s. Alas, they went the way of McDonald’s root beer. > [@King\_Bobo](#): > > Brits call them scones, or sometimes even tea-cakes. We have two main types of teacake over here, with some regional variations. The first type is almost what you’d call a s’more - cookie base, sometimes a dollop of jam, then marshmallow, all covered in chocolate - [Picture](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tunnocks_tea_cakes.jpg) The second main type is a sweet bread roll with sultanas/currants in and is served cut in half and toasted - [Picture](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/58/Teacake.jpg) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-biscuits-known-as-in-the-uk/537714.md?page=2)