Ginger nuts – English Baking In America

So after thinking about ginger nuts for over a week (incase there is any confusion, the following image represents my line of thought) I started contemplating the many other English foods that have unappetizing names.

Lets face it, English food doesn’t have the best reputation around the world, which I am sure is not helped by the names we have chosen to give to some of our best known dishes, all of which I may add are delightful to eat.

To quote English food writer Simon Majumdar – “we have done ourselves no favors at all when it comes to giving our food names that might make anyone actually want to eat them”.

So lets take a look at a few prime examples:

Spotted dick – The word ‘dick’ was widely used as a term for pudding in the 19th century. It is a very popular pudding in England and goes down very well with a dollop of custard.

Continue reading English food and its unappetizing names

The humble ginger nut – one England’s favorite biscuits’, and the biscuit with probably the least attractive and appetizing name.

The ginger nut is a staple of most homes in England and was listed as the tenth most popular biscuit in the UK to “dunk” in tea.

It is a close relative of the ginger biscuit and ginger snap, and is typically flavored with powdered ginger and a variety of other spices, including cinnamon and molasses. The many varieties can be found across the world. In the UK, Australia and New Zealand they are called ginger nuts. In Scandinavia ginger nuts are also called ginger bread or “brunkage” in Danish, which literally mean “brown biscuits”. While in the United States, they can be compared to ginger snaps.

Each recipe (there are many) and each country offers the biscuit with varying amounts of ginger and other spices, which gives them an individual international flavor.

The recipe below is typically English; it contains a nice amount of ginger, golden syrup and offers a wonderful crunchiness and snap as you break one in half.

Click here for the Full Recipe