Ginger snap

Last updated
Ginger Snap
Arnott's Ginger Nut 04.jpg
Ginger nut biscuits made by Arnott's Biscuits
Alternative namesGinger nut, ginger biscuit
Type Biscuit
Main ingredientsPowdered ginger, spices (commonly cinnamon and nutmeg)

A gingersnap, [1] ginger snap, ginger nut, [2] or ginger biscuit is a biscuit flavored with ginger. Ginger snaps are flavored with powdered ginger and a variety of other spices, most commonly cinnamon, molasses [3] and clove. [4] There are many recipes. [5] The brittle ginger nut style is a commercial version of the traditional fairings once made for market fairs now represented only by the Cornish fairing.[ citation needed ]

Contents

Global terminology

Ginger nuts are not to be confused with pepper nuts, which are a variety of gingerbread, somewhat smaller in diameter, but thicker. In 2009, McVitie's Ginger Nuts were listed as the tenth most popular biscuit in the UK to dunk into tea. [6]

Ginger nuts are the most sold biscuit in New Zealand, normally attributed to its tough texture which can withstand dunking into liquid. Leading biscuit manufacturer Griffin's estimates 60 million of them are produced each year. This has become the title of a book, 60 Million Gingernuts, a chronicle of New Zealand records. [7] [8] [9] In Australia, Arnott's Biscuits manufactures four different regional varieties of ginger nut to suit the tastes of people in different states. [10]

In Canada and the United States, the cookies are usually referred to as ginger snaps. Further, they are generally round drop cookies, usually between 18 and 14 inch (3–6 mm) thick, with prominent cracks in the top surface.[ citation needed ]

Northern European-style ginger nuts Freshly baked gingerbread - Christmas 2004.jpg
Northern European-style ginger nuts

Northern European ginger nuts, also called ginger bread or brunkage in Danish (literally, 'brown cookie'), pepparkakor in Swedish, piparkakut in Finnish, piparkūkas in Latvian, [11] piparkoogid in Estonian and pepperkaker in Norwegian (literally, 'pepper cakes'), are rolled quite thin (often under 3 mm (0.12 in) thick), and cut into shapes; they are smooth and are usually much thinner and hence crisper (and in some cases, more strongly flavoured) than most global varieties. Cloves, cinnamon and cardamom are important ingredients of these, and the actual ginger taste is not prominent. Allspice and cloves have been used to season ginger biscuits. [12]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cookie</span> Small, flat and sweetened baked food (biscuit)

A cookie, or a biscuit, is a baked or cooked snack or dessert that is typically small, flat and sweet. It usually contains flour, sugar, egg, and some type of oil, fat, or butter. It may include other ingredients such as raisins, oats, chocolate chips, nuts, etc.

<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 candy, 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">Mulled wine</span> Heated red wine with spices

Mulled wine, also known as spiced wine, is an alcoholic drink usually made with red wine, along with various mulling spices and sometimes raisins, served hot or warm. It is a traditional drink during winter, especially around Christmas. It is usually served at Christmas markets in Europe, primarily in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Croatia, Romania, Nordics, Baltics and eastern France. There are non-alcoholic versions of it. Vodka-spiked mulled wine can be found in Polish Christmas markets, where mulled wine is commonly used as a mixer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biscuit</span> Sweet baked product

A biscuit, in most English speaking countries, is a flour-based baked and shaped food product. Biscuits are typically hard, flat, and unleavened. They are usually sweet and may be made with sugar, chocolate, icing, jam, ginger, or cinnamon. They can also be savoury, similar to crackers. Types of biscuit include sandwich biscuits, digestive biscuits, ginger biscuits, shortbread biscuits, chocolate chip cookies, chocolate-coated marshmallow treats, Anzac biscuits, biscotti, and speculaas.

<span title="German-language text"><i lang="de">Lebkuchen</i></span> German honey-sweetened cake

Lebkuchen, Honigkuchen or Pfefferkuchen are honey-sweetened German cakes, moulded cookies or bar cookies that have become part of Germany's Christmas traditions. They are similar to gingerbread.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gingerbread</span> Spiced dough used for cookies, cakes and breads

Gingerbread refers to a broad category of baked goods, typically flavored with ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon and sweetened with honey, sugar, or molasses. Gingerbread foods vary, ranging from a moist loaf cake to forms nearly as crisp as a ginger snap.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dutch cuisine</span> Culinary traditions of the Netherlands

Dutch cuisine is formed from the cooking traditions and practices of the Netherlands. The country's cuisine is shaped by its location in the fertile North Sea river delta of the European Plain, giving rise to fishing, farming and overseas trade. The Burgundian-Habsburg court enriched the cuisine of the Dutch elite in the 15th and 16th century, so did the colonial spice trade in the 17th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gingerbread house</span> Model house made of gingerbread

A gingerbread house is a novelty confectionery shaped like a building that is made of cookie dough, cut and baked into appropriate components like walls and roofing. The usual base material is crisp gingerbread, hence the name. Another type of model-making with gingerbread uses a boiled dough that can be moulded like clay to form edible statuettes or other decorations. These houses, covered with a variety of candies and icing, are popular Christmas decorations.

<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">Christmas cookie</span>

Christmas cookies or Christmas biscuits are traditionally sugar cookies or biscuits cut into various shapes related to Christmas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pfeffernüsse</span> German cookie

Pfeffernüsse are small spice cookies, popular as a holiday treat with Germans and ethnic Mennonites in North America. Similar cookies are made in Denmark, and The Netherlands, as well. They are called Pfeffernüsse in German, pepernoten in Dutch, päpanät in Plautdietsch, pfeffernusse or peppernuts in English, and pebernødder in Danish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cornish fairing</span> British ginger biscuit

A Cornish fairing is a type of traditional ginger biscuit commonly found in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. "Fairing" was originally a term for an edible treat sold at fairs around the country, though over time the name has become associated with ginger biscuits or gingerbread, which were given as a treat to children or by men to their sweethearts. In Cornwall, fairings contained ginger and became famous around the country when a Cornish manufacturer started selling them by mail order in 1886. The same manufacturer still makes them and the company has recently teamed up with celebrity chef Rick Stein to make biscuits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mizrahi Jewish cuisine</span> Assortment of cooking traditions of Mizrahi Jews

Mizrahi Jewish cuisine is an assortment of cooking traditions that developed among the Jews of the Middle East, North Africa, Asia, and Arab countries. Mizrahi Jews have also been known as Oriental Jews.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Omani cuisine</span> Culinary traditions of Oman

Omani cuisine is part of the Khaleeji cuisine and is influenced by Arab, Pakistani cuisine, Iranian, Indian, Asian, Eastern Mediterranean, and African cuisine, reflecting Oman's position as a vast trading empire at the intersection of traditional spice trade routes. Dishes are often based on chicken, fish, and lamb, as well as the staple of rice. Most Omani dishes tend to contain a rich mixture of spices, herbs, and marinades. Omani cuisine differs from other cuisines in the Arabian peninsula, as it is less spicy and seldom served warm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Frogger</span>

The Joe Frogger is a type of cookie that has been popular in New England since the late 18th century. It is flavored with molasses, rum, and spices and has a soft, chewy center. Because the cookies kept well they could be taken on long sea voyages, and so became popular with fishermen and sailors. The original cookies were the size of pancakes and were cooked in an iron skillet; those made today are typically smaller, and baked in an oven.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pone (food)</span> Bread from American cuisine

Pone is a type of baked or fried bread in American cuisine, and the Cuisine of the Southern United States. Pone could be made with corn, or some other main ingredient could be used like sweet potato. This style of bread, eaten cold as a breakfast food, was a staple food of the cuisine of the Thirteen Colonies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ingefærnøtter</span> Norwegian ginger cookie

Ingefærnøtter, or ginger nuts, are a Norwegian cookie known for their spiced taste, utilizing ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and black pepper in their recipes. They are frequently baked during Christmastime in regions throughout Norway as one of the syv slag, or "seven kinds ", served.

References

  1. "gingersnap". Merriam-Webster online dictionary. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
  2. "ginger nut". Oxford Living Dictionary . Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on September 25, 2016. Retrieved March 4, 2019.
  3. "Ginger Snaps - Grandma's Molasses". Grandma’s Molasses. Retrieved 2016-05-21.
  4. Dodge, Abigail Johnson (Winter 2006). "Ginger Gives Delicious Warmth to Cookies: Ginger Snaps". Fine Cooking. No. 75. Taunton Press. p. 47. ISSN   1072-5121.
  5. "Soft and chewy ginger nuts". Allrecipes . Retrieved 2016-05-21.
  6. "Chocolate digestive is nation's favourite dunking biscuit". The Telegraph. 2 May 2009
  7. "FAQs | Griffin's". www.griffins.co.nz. Archived from the original on 2016-04-05. Retrieved 2016-05-21.
  8. Janssen, Peter (2012-07-31). 60 Million Gingernuts: A Book of New Zealand Records. Hachette New Zealand. ISBN   9781869712884.
  9. "Gingernuts 250g | Griffin's". www.griffins.co.nz. Archived from the original on 2016-05-13. Retrieved 2016-05-21.
  10. Fejer, Lish; Travers, Penny (20 May 2017). "Ginger nut: The Aussie biscuit favourite that varies across the country". ABC News . Australian Broadcasting Corporation . Retrieved 20 May 2017.
  11. Akis, Eric (2 December 2012). "Gingery cookies come in many variations". Times Colonist . Retrieved 20 May 2017.
  12. Mattila, Anna-Liisa: Piparikirja. Jyväskylä: Atena, 2001. ISBN   951-796-263-0.