Cobbler (food)

Last updated
Cobbler
Cobbler (7303683612).jpg
A portion of mixed fruit cobbler
Place of originUnited States or England
Main ingredients batter, biscuit, or pie crust; fruit or savory filling
VariationsBetty, grunt, slump, buckle, sonker, boot [1]

Cobbler is a dessert consisting of a fruit (or less commonly savory) filling poured into a large baking dish and covered with a batter, biscuit, or dumpling (in the United Kingdom) before being baked. Some cobbler recipes, especially in the American South, resemble a thick-crusted, deep-dish pie with both a top and bottom crust. Cobbler is part of the cuisine of the United Kingdom and United States, and should not be confused with a crumble.

Contents

Origin

Cobblers originated in the British American colonies. [2] English settlers were unable to make traditional suet puddings due to lack of suitable ingredients and cooking equipment, [2] so instead covered a stewed filling with a layer of uncooked plain biscuits, scone batter or dumplings, fitted together. [3] The origin of the name cobbler, recorded from 1859, is uncertain: it may be related to the archaic word cobeler, meaning "wooden bowl", [4] or the term may be due to the topping having the visual appearance of a 'cobbled' stone pathway. The verb cobble means to assemble from available parts, which can be used to describe using scraps of pie crust or leftover scone or biscuit to combine with whatever filling or fruit was readily available.

Varieties

Note the crisp and crumble differ from the cobbler in that the former's top layers may also include rolled oats made with oatmeal. [5]

North America

Peach cobbler with ice cream Peach Cobbler.jpg
Peach cobbler with ice cream

Grunts, pandowdy, and slumps are Canadian Maritimes, New England and Pennsylvania Dutch (Apple Pan Dowdy) varieties of cobbler, typically cooked on the stovetop, or in an iron skillet or pan, with the dough on top in the shape of dumplings. They reportedly take their name from the grunting sound they make while cooking. Another name for the types of biscuits or dumplings used is dough-boys. Dough-boys are used in stews and cobblers alike.

In the United States, additional varieties of cobbler include the apple pan dowdy (an apple cobbler whose crust has been broken and perhaps stirred back into the filling), the Betty, the buckle (made with yellow batter [like cake batter] with the filling mixed in with the batter), the dump (or dump cake), [6] [7] the grump, the slump, and the sonker. The sonker is unique to North Carolina: it is a deep-dish version of the American cobbler. [5] [8]

Cobblers most commonly come in single fruit varieties and are named as such, e.g. blackberry, blueberry, and peach cobbler. The tradition also gives the option of topping the fruit cobbler with a scoop or two of vanilla ice cream. [9] Savory cobblers are less common in the region; for example, tomato cobbler, which may include onion and a biscuit topping that may include cheese or cornmeal, is one savory variant that also resembles Southern tomato pie. [10] Old California orchard cuisine features peach, pear, apricot, and, most prized by many, tartarian cherry cobblers.

The Texas Legislature designated peach cobbler as the official cobbler of Texas in 2013. [11]

Betty

The American variant known as the Betty or brown Betty dates from at least the early 19th century. [12] In 1864, in the Yale Literary Magazine , it appeared with "brown" in lower case, thus making "Betty" the proper name. [12] In 1890, however, a recipe was published in Practical Sanitary and Economic Cooking Adapted to Persons of Moderate and Small Means with the word "Brown" capitalized, rendering "Brown Betty" the proper name. [13]

Brown Betties are made with breadcrumbs (or bread pieces, or graham cracker crumbs), and fruit, usually diced apples, in alternating layers. They are baked covered and have a consistency like bread pudding.

In the midwestern United States, apple Betty is often a synonym for apple crisp . [14]

UK and Commonwealth

In the UK and Commonwealth of Nations, the scone-topped cobbler predominates, and is found in both sweet and savory versions. Common sweet fillings include apple, blackberry, and peach. Savory versions, such as beef, lamb, [15] or mutton, consist of a casserole filling, sometimes with a simple ring of cobbles around the edge, rather than a complete layer, to aid cooking of the meat. Cheese or herb scones may also be used as a savory topping. [16]

Cobblers and crumbles were promoted by the Ministry of Food during the Second World War, since they are filling, yet require less butter than a traditional pastry, and can be made with margarine. [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dessert</span> Sweet course that concludes a meal

Dessert is a course that concludes a meal. The course consists of sweet foods, such as cake, biscuit, ice cream and possibly a beverage such as dessert wine and liqueur. Some cultures sweeten foods that are more commonly savory to create desserts. In some parts of the world there is no tradition of a dessert course to conclude a meal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pastry</span> Various baked products made of dough

Pastry is baked food made with a dough of flour, water, and shortening that may be savoury or sweetened. Sweetened pastries are often described as bakers' confectionery. The word "pastries" suggests many kinds of baked products made from ingredients such as flour, sugar, milk, butter, shortening, baking powder, and eggs. Small tarts and other sweet baked products are called pastries as a synecdoche. Common pastry dishes include pies, tarts, quiches, croissants, and pasties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pie</span> Baked, filled pastry

A pie is a baked dish which is usually made of a pastry dough casing that contains a filling of various sweet or savoury ingredients. Sweet pies may be filled with fruit, nuts, fruit preserves, brown sugar, sweetened vegetables, or with thicker fillings based on eggs and dairy. Savoury pies may be filled with meat, eggs and cheese or a mixture of meat and vegetables.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apple pie</span> Dessert pie made with apples

An apple pie is a fruit pie in which the principal filling is apples. Apple pie is often served with whipped cream, ice cream, custard or cheddar cheese. It is generally double-crusted, with pastry both above and below the filling; the upper crust may be solid or latticed. The bottom crust may be baked separately ("blind") to prevent it from getting soggy. Deep-dish apple pie often has a top crust only. Tarte Tatin is baked with the crust on top, but served with it on the bottom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crumble</span> Dish of British origin

A crumble is typically a dessert with a crumbly topping consisting of flour, butter, sugar, and sometimes oats, baked over a fruit filling. Apple and rhubarb are two popular varieties. Savoury fillings such as meat, cheese or vegetables may alternatively be used. As a dessert, crumbles are traditionally served with custard, cream, or ice cream.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cuisine of the Pennsylvania Dutch</span> Typical and traditional fare of the Pennsylvania Dutch

Pennsylvania Dutch cuisine is the typical and traditional fare of the Pennsylvania Dutch. According to one writer, "If you had to make a short list of regions in the United States where regional food is actually consumed on a daily basis, the land of the Pennsylvania Dutch—in and around Lancaster County, Pennsylvania—would be at or near the top of that list," mainly because the area is a cultural enclave of Pennsylvania Dutch culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Galette</span> French flat cake or pancake

Galette is a term used in French cuisine to designate various types of flat round or freeform crusty cakes, or, in the case of a Breton galette, a pancake made with buckwheat flour usually with a savoury filling. Of the cake type of galette, one notable variety is the galette des Rois eaten on the day of Epiphany. In French Canada the term galette is usually applied to pastries best described as large cookies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apple crisp</span> Apple-based dessert with streusel topping

Apple crisp is a dessert made with a streusel topping. In the US, it is also called apple crumble, a word which refers to a different dessert in the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

<i>Kuih</i> Southeast Asian snack or dessert foods

Kuih are bite-sized snack or dessert foods commonly found in Southeast Asia and China. It is a fairly broad term which may include items that would be called cakes, cookies, dumplings, pudding, biscuits, or pastries in English and are usually made from rice or glutinous rice. In China, where the term originates from, kueh or koé (粿) in the Min Nan languages refers to snacks which are typically made from rice but can occasionally be made from other grains such as wheat. The term kuih is widely used in Malaysia, Brunei, and Singapore, kueh is used in Singapore and Indonesia, kue is used in Indonesia only, all three refer to sweet or savoury desserts.

<i>The Redwall Cookbook</i> 2005 book by Brian Jacques

The Redwall Cookbook is a cookbook based on food from the Redwall series. It contains recipes mentioned in the books, from Deeper'n'Ever Pie and Summer Strawberry Fizz to Abbey Trifle and Great Hall Gooseberry Fool.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apple dumpling</span> Pastry-wrapped apple

An apple dumpling is a baked or boiled pastry-wrapped apple. To prepare apple dumplings, apples are peeled, cored and sometimes quartered and placed on a portion of dough. The hole from the core may be filled with cinnamon, butter and sugar and sometimes dried fruit such as raisins, sultanas, or currants. The dough is folded over the apples and sealed. Sometimes a spiced sauce is poured over the dumplings which are then baked until tender; the sugar and butter create a sweet sauce. Apple dumplings can be served hot, cold, or room temperature for breakfast, dessert, or as a main dish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crisp (dessert)</span>

A crisp is a type of American dessert, usually consisting of a type of fruit, baked with a crispy topping, hence the name. The topping usually consists of butter, flour, oats, brown sugar and usually spices such as cinnamon and/or nutmeg. The most familiar type of crisp is apple crisp, where apples are baked with this topping. However, many other kinds of fruit can be used, such as cherries, pears, peaches, blueberries, etc.

Pie in American cuisine has roots in English cuisine and has evolved over centuries to adapt to American cultural tastes and ingredients. The creation of flaky pie crust shortened with lard is credited to American innovation.

References

  1. 1 2 "Difference Between Cobbler, Crisp, Crumble and Betty". Cooking to Be Clever. 15 January 2013.
  2. 1 2 Shepherd, Johnny (2016). Puddings: Over 100 Classic Puddings from Cakes, Tarts, Crumbles and Pies to all Things Chocolatey. Orion Publishing Group. p. 62. ISBN   978-0-297-87055-5 . Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  3. "About Cobbler". ifood.tv. Retrieved 2022-03-10.
  4. Harper, Douglas. "Cobbler (n.2)". Online Etymological Dictionary . Retrieved 7 October 2016.
  5. 1 2 "Best Apple Crisp Recipe". Betty Crocker . 7 December 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  6. Filippone, Peggy Trowbridge (6 April 2015). "Dump Cake Recipe". The Spruce. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
  7. Ellis-Christensen, Tricia (25 November 2016). Wallace, O (ed.). "What is Dump Cake?". WiseGeek. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  8. Stradley, Linda (2017). "History and Legends of Cobblers". What's Cooking America. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
  9. "About Cobbler". ifood.tv. Retrieved 2022-03-10.
  10. "Savory Tomato Cobbler". Southern Living. June 2013. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
  11. Hatch, Rosie (Ed.) (2022). Texas Almanac 2022-2023. Austin, Texas: Texas State Historical Association. p. 21. ISBN   9781625110664.
  12. 1 2 Davidson, Alan; Tom Jaine; Soun Vannithone (2008). The Oxford Companion to Food . Oxford University Press. ISBN   978-0-19-280681-9.
  13. Hinman Abel, Mary (1890). Practical sanitary and economic cooking adapted to persons of moderate and small means. Rochester, NY: American Public Health Association. OCLC   14799381 . Retrieved 12 June 2012.
  14. Staff, Farmers' Almanac (2017-11-19). "Crisp, Crumble, Betty, Or Buckle: Which Is Which?". Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2022-03-10.
  15. "Herby Lamb Cobbler Recipe". Good Good. BBC. 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
  16. "Beef Cobbler Recipe". The Green Chronicle. 2012. Archived from the original on 12 September 2016. Retrieved 1 June 2012.