If you're in the USA, however, a 'biscuit' is what Australians and the English may refer to as a scone. American biscuits are usually enjoyed as part of a savoury meal, served with meat and gravy.
For those in Commonwealth countries — England, Scotland, Ireland, Canada, Australia, Wales, and so forth — the word biscuit signifies something most Americans would call a cookie, and a scone is, well, something similar to an American biscuit: round, bready, and only slightly sweet.
A Biscuit (U.S.) Is a Scone (U.K.)
Both baked goodies use flour, fat, liquid and a leavening agent. The main differences are that scones tend to have less butter (because you'll add butter to it when you eating it — or else, clotted cream or jam) while American biscuits tend to have more butter and light layers.
American Biscuits are a Southern US classic. They're effectively savoury buttermilk scones that are flaky rather than crumbly & make an excellent side or breakfast. Ideally served warm and smothered with butter, I can't stop eating them!
Scone: Australians say scone… Americans say biscuit. Australians eat these things for dessert… while Americans eat them for breakfast. Either way… they are far from healthy.
Pikelets (Australian Pancakes)
At first the biscuits were called Soldiers' Biscuits, but after the landing on Gallipoli, they were renamed ANZAC Biscuits.
If you live in a country with the King as your monarch, "biscuits" are cookies, and "scones" are similar to American biscuits. However, as with almost everything Americans inherited from the Brits, we had to make them our own. Here are the similarities and differences between biscuits and scones.
British scones are simpler, with fewer ingredients and not a lot of flavour on their own. American scones come in a million different flavours, and they're much more likely to be fruit-stuffed or fruit-flavored.
In America, primarily in the South, they are called biscuits. They are basically a flaky, buttermilk scone accompanied by sweet or savory items, served sandwich-style, or covered in country gravy.
American cucumbers, whose seed is called Americana Slicing Hybrid, are the variety you're most likely familiar with at the grocery store, and are often simply labeled "cucumber." The skin of these cucumbers can be tougher than other varieties, and some you buy at the grocery store may have been coated in wax to help ...
Jam or Jelly or Jell-O
The Jell-O Americans use for colorful cookout snacks or party shots is called jelly in England, where the delineation between jam, marmalade, and preserves is more commonly understood. In the United States, you may find all of these terms used interchangeably for what is likely jam in the UK.
In Australia, biscuits are commonly referred to as "cookies". What is the American food "biscuits and gravy" in British food terms? I have a friend from the UK who came to visit. We went to a local diner for breakfast and I ordered Biscuits and Gravy.
Here in Australia (and as a hang-over from our UK forefathers) we seem to define 'biscuits' as smaller, crunchy, baked items to have alongside a hot cuppa, whereas a 'cookie' on the other hand, is typically larger with a softer, chewy middle.
The history of one of America's earliest and most iconic baked goods actually begins in Europe. The word biscuit comes from the Latin “biscotus,” which means twice-baked, and in medieval times probably resembled what we now know as biscotti.
Authentic British scones aren't eaten for breakfast. Rather, they are served with tea as a light snack for “cream tea” in the mid-morning or with afternoon tea. (Not to be confused with “high tea,” which includes more savory nibbles.)
The Basics of Eating a Scone Properly
Break apart a small bite-sized portion of scone with your hands or if using a knife, cut the scone horizontally. Use a knife to slather on cream and jam onto the broken-off piece of scone. The bite-sized piece of scone should be eaten in 1-2 bites.
In many English-speaking countries outside North America, including the United Kingdom, the most common word for a crisp cookie is "biscuit". The term "cookie" is normally used to describe chewier ones. However, in many regions both terms are used.
America's favorite cookie and the one dubbed “the American cookie” is the Chocolate chip cookie. Chocolate chip cookie is simply tantalizing both in flavor and in texture.
Anzac biscuits have long been associated with the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) established in World War I. It has been claimed that these biscuits were sent by wives and women's groups to soldiers abroad because the ingredients do not spoil easily and the biscuits kept well during naval transportation.
“The Anzac biscuit recipe evolved in both countries around the same time. While New Zealand may have the first published recipe in a cookery book, recipes often take a few years to filter into published books.”