The word biscuit is believed to have come from the French bis cuit, which means twice cooked. This referred to the little cakes that were baked twice to dry and harden them so sailors and soldiers could carry them without fear of them rotting or moulding. They were also called stone bread because of these preservative properties which made them hard and dry. At one time, broth from meat was used as the liquid portion when cooking biscuits to give them extra nutrients, but because it proved essentially pointless, the practice was stopped.

The airy biscuits popular in the United States were created in the southern states, and unlike the commonly rolled biscuits of today, the dough was hit with both hands and a rolling pin to introduce air to make them fluffy. And the fat, which is usually lard, shortening or butter, is first cut in so that it’s in small pea-sized pebbles, which melts and leaves little pockets when the dough is baked.

Today, drop biscuits are also popular. Instead of dough being rolled and cut into round or square shapes, these biscuits are made from dough dropped by the spoonful and baked as is. These aren’t kneaded and won’t rise as high, but if the proper leavening is used in the batter they’ll still at least double when baked and taste much like a standard rolled biscuit.

Of course, these are the traditional American biscuits. If you happen to be near a Littlewoods, then biscuit means something very different. In the UK and in some places in Europe, biscuit is the word used for what Americans call cookies. Rather than something savory, they’re sweet. Cookie jars that you might purchase at an Argos store are labeled “Biscuits” instead of cookies, just one of the many differences between British and American English vernacular. The type of rolled and savory biscuit found in the US is actually called a scone in most European countries.