Ginger snap explained
A gingersnap,[1] ginger snap, ginger nut,[2] or ginger biscuit is a biscuit flavoured with ginger. Ginger snaps are flavoured 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.
Global terminology
Ginger nuts are not to be confused with pepper nuts, which are a variety of gingerbread, somewhat smaller in diameter, but thicker.
- Europe Northern European ginger nuts, also called ginger bread or in Danish (literally, 'brown cookie'), in Swedish, in Finnish, in Latvian,[6] in Estonian and in Norwegian (literally, 'pepper cakes'), are rolled quite thin (often under 3mm 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.[7]
In 2009, McVitie's Ginger Nuts were listed as the tenth most popular biscuit in the UK to dunk into tea.[8]
- Oceania
In Australia, produced since the 1900s,[9] Arnott's Biscuits manufactures four different regional varieties of ginger nut to suit the tastes of people in different states.[10] The darker and more bitter Queensland biscuit is in weight, and average about in thickness, compared to the lighter South Australia biscuit is heavier at in weight, and average about in thickness.
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 these cookies are produced each year. This has become the title of a book, 60 Million Gingernuts, a chronicle of New Zealand records.[11] [12] [13]
- North America
In Canada and the United States, the cookies are usually referred to as ginger snaps. Further, they are generally round drop cookies, usually between NaNand(-) thick, with noticeable cracks in the top surface.
Notes and References
- Web site: gingersnap. Merriam-Webster online dictionary. May 4, 2019.
- Web site: ginger nut. https://web.archive.org/web/20160925020009/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/ginger_nut. dead. September 25, 2016. Oxford University Press. Oxford Living Dictionary. March 4, 2019.
- Web site: Ginger Snaps - Grandma's Molasses. Grandma’s Molasses. en-US. 2016-05-21. 2022-10-28. https://web.archive.org/web/20221028013551/https://grandmasmolasses.com/recipes/ginger-snaps/. dead.
- Abigail Johnson . Dodge . Ginger Gives Delicious Warmth to Cookies: Ginger Snaps . Fine Cooking . Winter 2006 . 75 . 47 . 1072-5121 . .
- Web site: Soft and chewy ginger nuts. Allrecipes. 2016-05-21.
- News: Eric . Akis . Gingery cookies come in many variations . . 2 December 2012 . 20 May 2017 .
- Mattila, Anna-Liisa: Piparikirja. Jyväskylä: Atena, 2001. .
- https://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/foodanddrinknews/4927255/Chocolate-digestive-is-nations-favourite-dunking-biscuit.html "Chocolate digestive is nation's favourite dunking biscuit"
- News: "My first favourites for over thirty years: Arnott's Ginger Nut Biscuits" . . I . 43 . Australia, Australia . 31 March 1934 . 11 October 2024 . 37 . National Library of Australia.
- News: Lish . Fejer . Penny . Travers . Ginger nut: The Aussie biscuit favourite that varies across the country . . . 20 May 2017 . 20 May 2017 .
- Web site: FAQs Griffin's. www.griffins.co.nz. 2016-05-21. https://web.archive.org/web/20160405234732/http://www.griffins.co.nz/about-griffins/contact-us/faqs. 2016-04-05. dead.
- Book: Janssen, Peter. 60 Million Gingernuts: A Book of New Zealand Records. 2012-07-31. Hachette New Zealand. 9781869712884. en.
- Web site: Gingernuts 250g Griffin's. www.griffins.co.nz. 2016-05-21. https://web.archive.org/web/20160513010149/http://www.griffins.co.nz/by-name/gingernuts. 2016-05-13. dead.