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Ya'll have actual cookies? Anyway, i can confirm that what you call biscuits could occasionally be called a cookie in the states. You need to add more sugar, though.

A British scone is not an American biscuit. American Biscuits are savory, not sweet. A Scone is a dry, dense cookie that's best fed to the dog. My grandmother made Tea Cakes that are like your scones. They're for old ladies and old men with digestive problems.

To reiterate, American Biscuits are savory, light and fluffy, and best with butter or gravy

Indeed we do, and they're lush!

So a Digestive Biscuit would be a Digestive Cookie in the States?

Well American Biscuits look like scones, and they seem to be made in the same style as scones. We also have savoury scones (mum makes cheese and bacon ones from time to time) and typically people put jam/cream/butter in the sweet ones to make them less dry, although I like mine dry because I'm a very special snowflake

Ah. I was not aware of your savory scones.

Fair play, then! My experience with scones was the equivalent of Tea Cakes.

Well I'm not sure if cheese and bacon is just something my mum and I bake, but I know at M&S we sell fresh Cheese Scones quite regularly

That be UK Teacakes or US Teacakes?

 General Annoyance wrote:
Well I'm not sure if cheese and bacon is just something my mum and I bake, but I know at M&S we sell fresh Cheese Scones quite regularly

That be UK Teacakes or US Teacakes?

Cheddar Biscuits are a thing, so it’s not just you. U.S.-style biscuit, with cheese baked in/on top. Can’t say I’ve seen them with bacon, but the principle is sound. You can add bacon to anything to make it better.

 General Annoyance wrote:
Well I'm not sure if cheese and bacon is just something my mum and I bake, but I know at M&S we sell fresh Cheese Scones quite regularly

That be UK Teacakes or US Teacakes?

US Tea Cakes! That's what my great grandmother and grand mother called them, anyway.

 kronk wrote:

icn1982 wrote:
Could this thread be anymore British?

No one has mentioned the weather, I don't think.

Or soccer.

Its not soccer, its football, you damn colonial

icn1982 wrote:

 kronk wrote:

icn1982 wrote:
Could this thread be anymore British?

No one has mentioned the weather, I don't think.

Or soccer.

Its not soccer, its football, you damn colonial

Footballs are oblong and you score touchdowns with them! Also, there are laces and beer commercials.

Yes, footballs here are not ball-shaped and rarely come into contact with any feet. Nonsensical.

As for biscuits, McVities get my vote for digestives. Especially the choccy ones.

Custard Cream or Bourbon* are my faves though.

*for my American friends, these are a chocolate cookie, not an alcoholic beverage.

 kronk wrote:

icn1982 wrote:

 kronk wrote:

icn1982 wrote:
Could this thread be anymore British?

No one has mentioned the weather, I don't think.

Or soccer.

Its not soccer, its football, you damn colonial

Footballs are oblong and you score touchdowns with them! Also, there are laces and beer commercials.

Right, that does it *puts on my Red Coat and loads my musket*

I don't think Graham Crackers are the same thing at all. We do have tea biscuits here, although the best brands are not made in the USA. I prefer Osem or Maria's tea biscuits. The Mexican brands blur the line between galettas and tea biscuits.

 BobtheInquisitor wrote:
I don't think Graham Crackers are the same thing at all. We do have tea biscuits here, although the best brands are not made in the USA. I prefer Osem or Maria's tea biscuits. The Mexican brands blur the line between galettas and tea biscuits.

Graham Crackers are not the same as Digestives at all. They are snappier. Digestives are softer. Not soft, but softer. Especially McVities ones.

I don't think the US has an equivalent. If there is one, I haven't seen it.

 Nostromodamus wrote:

 BobtheInquisitor wrote:
I don't think Graham Crackers are the same thing at all. We do have tea biscuits here, although the best brands are not made in the USA. I prefer Osem or Maria's tea biscuits. The Mexican brands blur the line between galettas and tea biscuits.

Graham Crackers are not the same as Digestives at all. They are snappier. Digestives are softer. Not soft, but softer. Especially McVities ones.

I don't think the US has an equivalent. If there is one, I haven't seen it.

I understand what you mean. So different and yet so close

 kronk wrote:


Footballs are oblong and you score touchdowns with them! Also, there are laces and beer commercials.

Funny I've never seen these types of balls at the FIFA (i.e. Fédération Internationale de Football Association) World Cup....

Rugby Balls are oblong....


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Back on topic. I think I prefer a Hobnob to a Digestive

 Whirlwind wrote:

 kronk wrote:


Footballs are oblong and you score touchdowns with them! Also, there are laces and beer commercials.

Funny I've never seen these types of balls at the FIFA (i.e. Fédération Internationale de Football Association) World Cup....

Rugby Balls are oblong....


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Back on topic. I think I prefer a Hobnob to a Digestive

Shush, you'll confuse the colonials with all those foreign words (and before you complain, remember freedom fries)

The King of biscuits is Shortbread, made with real butter, preferably by an old relative.

 A Town Called Malus wrote:
The King of biscuits is Shortbread, made with real butter, preferably by an old relative.

Which, the butter or the shortbread?

 kronk wrote:

 A Town Called Malus wrote:
The King of biscuits is Shortbread, made with real butter, preferably by an old relative.

Which, the butter or the shortbread?

Both and/or Yes.

 General Annoyance wrote:
Could someone here from New Englandland actually clarify that bit on biscuits and cookies please?

Biscuits = Cookies
Scone type bake = Biscuit
Actual Cookies =

It's quite simple why there seem to be two words for the same thing.

Biscuit comes from the French for "Twice Cooked" and is the predominant English use (because they may despise the French in all their cheese-eating-surrender-monkeyness, but they have no shame when it comes to stealing their words). These are what USians call "cookies" and may be sweet or savoury. More often than not, crisp but not chewy. You should not be able to bend a biscuit, it should snap.

"Cookie" comes from the Dutch, "Kuchen" which is more of a small, flat cake. The Dutch had more of an influence on US language than the French did (except in certain states) but you lot get a curious mix of ALL the nations who vied for your land during that phase of the colonial era (The Spaniards, the French, the English and the Dutch). Many other countries only get the influence of the colonial power that got in (Both the Dutch and French had eyes on Australia, but didn't consider it worth owning, so left it to the brits).

As for Soccer v futbol - blame the UK for that issue. It came from the abbreviation for "Association football" (As in "FA" cup - or as we call it down under, the SFA cup). It became Assoc. Futbol and then Soccer (football). Because "real foosball" in that area is rugger, a thugs game played by gentlemen.
It's just that "soccer" took of most places they colonised rather than locally - it only became "football" in those other places with the post WW2 phase of emigration.

That doesn't really add up. Cookies in America are usually chewy, at least if they're worth eating. But then, the term encompasses everything from thin mints to Oreos to schoolboys. Galettas seem to bridge the gap between cookies and tea biscuits, although most people would probably just consider them a subgroup of cookies. Palmiers are considered pastries, despite their similarities. Scones are just called scones. Graham crackers tend to be somewhere between crackers and cookies, coming in flavors like chocolate and cinnamon.

This is a tea cake.

Not these?

 chromedog wrote:
It's quite simple why there seem to be two words for the same thing.

Biscuit comes from the French for "Twice Cooked" and is the predominant English use (because they may despise the French in all their cheese-eating-surrender-monkeyness, but they have no shame when it comes to stealing their words). These are what USians call "cookies" and may be sweet or savoury. More often than not, crisp but not chewy. You should not be able to bend a biscuit, it should snap.

"Cookie" comes from the Dutch, "Kuchen" which is more of a small, flat cake. The Dutch had more of an influence on US language than the French did (except in certain states) but you lot get a curious mix of ALL the nations who vied for your land during that phase of the colonial era (The Spaniards, the French, the English and the Dutch). Many other countries only get the influence of the colonial power that got in (Both the Dutch and French had eyes on Australia, but didn't consider it worth owning, so left it to the brits).

As for Soccer v futbol - blame the UK for that issue. It came from the abbreviation for "Association football" (As in "FA" cup - or as we call it down under, the SFA cup). It became Assoc. Futbol and then Soccer (football). Because "real foosball" in that area is rugger, a thugs game played by gentlemen.
It's just that "soccer" took of most places they colonised rather than locally - it only became "football" in those other places with the post WW2 phase of emigration.

Well, that explains a lot. Cheers for taking the time to break it down

Still, it does seem a little confusing how a biscuit can be a cookie in America, but a cookie is also a cookie

Michael Ealy will always be my Tea Cake.






Edit: This joke would have been so much funnier if this ferkakte iPad could copy image locations.

 kronk wrote:

icn1982 wrote:
Could this thread be anymore British?

No one has mentioned the weather, I don't think.

Or soccer.

Rich tea. Has to be.

And the weather is clear but cold. And snowing in the North. Also sorry about that I was watching the football.. England will beat the evil Germans this year!

That British?

There's more than one kind of tea cake.

 chromedog wrote:

 General Annoyance wrote:
Could someone here from New Englandland actually clarify that bit on biscuits and cookies please?

Biscuits = Cookies
Scone type bake = Biscuit
Actual Cookies =

It's quite simple why there seem to be two words for the same thing.

Biscuit comes from the French for "Twice Cooked" and is the predominant English use (because they may despise the French in all their cheese-eating-surrender-monkeyness, but they have no shame when it comes to stealing their words). These are what USians call "cookies" and may be sweet or savoury. More often than not, crisp but not chewy. You should not be able to bend a biscuit, it should snap.

"Cookie" comes from the Dutch, "Kuchen" which is more of a small, flat cake. The Dutch had more of an influence on US language than the French did (except in certain states) but you lot get a curious mix of ALL the nations who vied for your land during that phase of the colonial era (The Spaniards, the French, the English and the Dutch). Many other countries only get the influence of the colonial power that got in (Both the Dutch and French had eyes on Australia, but didn't consider it worth owning, so left it to the brits).

As for Soccer v futbol - blame the UK for that issue. It came from the abbreviation for "Association football" (As in "FA" cup - or as we call it down under, the SFA cup). It became Assoc. Futbol and then Soccer (football). Because "real foosball" in that area is rugger, a thugs game played by gentlemen.
It's just that "soccer" took of most places they colonised rather than locally - it only became "football" in those other places with the post WW2 phase of emigration.

And Rugby you can still watch with a pint unlike football.

 A Town Called Malus wrote:
The King of biscuits is Shortbread, made with real butter, preferably by an old relative.

You got it in one,

 OrlandotheTechnicoloured wrote:

 A Town Called Malus wrote:
The King of biscuits is Shortbread, made with real butter, preferably by an old relative.

You got it in one,

Yeah, I do like me some Lembas

The lack of Chicken in a Biskit in this thread is disturbing.

 Kilkrazy wrote:
There's more than one kind of tea cake.

Indeed, the second one is a toasted tea cake.


Personally, I love English Muffins. I try to stay away from biscuits, because I'll happily eat a whole pack to myself.