Scone

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For other uses, see Scone (disambiguation).

Scone

Scones with jam and clotted cream as

commonly eaten in a cream tea
Type

Cake or quick bread

Place of origin

United Kingdom

Main ingredients Wheat, barley, or oatmeal

Cookbook:Scone

Scone

A scone is a single-serving cake or quick bread. They are usually made of wheat, barley or
oatmeal, with baking powder as a leavening agent, and are baked on sheet pans. They are
often lightly sweetened and are occasionally glazed. The scone is a basic component of the
cream tea or Devonshire tea. It differs from a teacake and other sweet buns, which are made
with yeast. A scone is in some senses a type of pastry since it is made with essentially the
same ingredients as shortcrust, though with different proportions of fat to flour.
Contents

1 Lexicology

2 History

3 Varieties

4 Regional variations
o

4.1 Europe

4.2 Australia

4.3 Americas

5 Other usage

6 See also

7 References

Lexicology

A fresh batch of homemade buttermilk scones

The pronunciation of the word within the United Kingdom varies. According to one academic
study, two-thirds of the British population pronounce it /skn/ with the preference rising to
99% in the Scottish population. Similarly, In The Republic of Ireland, they pronounce it 'Scon'
(sc-on). Experts say this is the correct pronunciation of the term as Ireland is the birthplace of
the scone. This is also the pronunciation of Australians, Canadians and New Zealanders.
Others, particularly inhabitants of the United States, pronounce the word as /skon/. The
pronunciation /skn/ is also used, particularly in Ireland. British dictionaries usually show
the "con" form as the preferred pronunciation, while recognising that the "cone" form also
exists.[1]
The Oxford Dictionaries explain that there are also regional and class differences in England
connected with the different pronunciations:
There are two possible pronunciations of the word scone: the first rhymes with gone and the
second rhymes with tone. In US English the pronunciation rhyming with tone is more
common. In British English the two pronunciations traditionally have different regional and
class associations, with the first pronunciation associated with the north of England and the
northern working class, while the second is associated with the south and the middle class.
The difference in pronunciation is alluded to in the poem which contains the lines:
I asked the maid in dulcet tone
To order me a buttered scone;
The silly girl has been and gone
And ordered me a buttered scone.

The Oxford English Dictionary reports that the first mention of the word was in 1513. Origin
of the word scone is obscure and may, in fact, derive from different sources. That is, the
classic Scottish scone which, according to Sheila MacNiven Cameron in The Highlander's
Cookbook, originated as a bannock cut into pieces; and the Dutch schoonbrood or
"spoonbread" (very similar to the drop scone); and possibly other, similar and similarly named
quick breads, may have made their way onto the British tea table, where their similar names
merged into one.
Thus, scone may derive from the Middle Dutch schoonbrood (fine white bread), from schoon
(pure, clean) and brood (bread),[2] and/or it may also derive from the Scots Gaelic term sgonn
meaning a shapeless mass or large mouthful. The Middle Low German term Schnbrot
meaning fine bread may also have played a role in the origination of this word. And if the
explanation put forward by Sheila MacNiven Cameron be true, the word may also be based
on the town of Scone ( i/skun/) (Scots: Scuin, Scottish Gaelic: Sgin) in Scotland, the
ancient capital of that country where Scottish monarchs were still crowned, even after the
capital was moved to Perth, then to Edinburgh (and on whose Scone Stone the monarchs of
the United Kingdom are still crowned today).[3]
History

The original scone was round and flat, usually as large as a medium-sized plate. It was made
with unleavened oats and baked on a griddle (or girdle, in Scots), then cut into triangular
sections for serving. Today, many would call the large round cake a bannock, and call the
triangles scones. In Scotland, the words are often used interchangeably.[4]
When baking powder became available to the masses, scones began to be the oven-baked,
well-leavened items we know today.[5] Modern scones are widely available in British and Irish
bakeries, grocery stores, and supermarkets. A 2005 market report estimated the UK scone
market to be worth 64m, showing a 9% increase over the previous five years. The increase is
partly due to an increasing consumer preference for impulse and convenience foods.[citation needed]
Scones sold commercially are usually round, although some brands are hexagonal as this
shape may be tessellated for space efficiency. When prepared at home, they may take various
shapes including triangles, rounds and squares.[6] Baking scones at home is often closely tied
to heritage baking. They tend to be made using family recipes rather than recipe books, since
it is often a family member who holds the "best" and most-treasured recipe.[7]
Varieties

Clockwise from bottom: Hot buttered tattie scones next to a cheese scone, shiny
and flat treacle scones, and a milk scone above a fruit scone

Scones with coffee

British scones are often lightly sweetened, but may also be savoury. They frequently include
raisins, currants, cheese or dates. In Scotland and Ulster, savoury varieties of scone include
soda scones, also known as soda farls, and potato scones, normally known as tattie scones,
which resemble small, thin savoury pancakes made with potato flour. Potato scones are most
commonly served fried in a full Scottish breakfast or an Ulster fry.
The griddle scone (or "girdle scone" in Scots) is a variety of scone which is fried rather than
baked. This usage is also common in New Zealand where scones of all varieties form an
important part of traditional colonial New Zealand cuisine.
Other common varieties include the dropped scone, or drop scone, like a pancake, after the
method of dropping the batter onto the griddle or frying pan to cook it, and the lemonade
scone, which is made with lemonade and cream instead of butter and milk. There is also the
fruit scone or fruited scone, which contains currants, sultanas, peel and glac cherries, which
is just like a plain round scone with the fruit mixed into the dough.
In some countries one may also encounter savoury varieties of scone which may contain or be
topped with combinations of cheese, onion, bacon, etc.
Regional variations
Europe

Scones were chosen as the Republic of Ireland representative for Caf Europe during the
Austrian Presidency of the European Union in 2006, while the United Kingdom chose
shortbread.
In Hungary, a pastry very similar to the British version exists under the name "pogaa". The
name has been adopted by several neighbouring nations' languages. (E.g. Pogatsche in
German.) Pogcsa is almost always savoury and served with varied seasonings and toppings,
like dill and cheese.
Australia

Pumpkin scones, made by adding mashed cooked pumpkin to the dough mixture, had
increased exposure during the period when Florence Bjelke-Petersen was in the public eye.[8]
Date scones, which contain chopped dried dates, can also be found in Australia. Another old
style of cooking scones, generally in the colder months, is to deep-fry or deep pan-fry them in
dripping or oil, when they are called "puftaloons".
Americas

North American style scones with strawberries

Round British scones can resemble North American biscuits in appearance, but scones
traditionally rely on cold butter, while biscuits are more often made with other kinds of animal
fat or vegetable shortening.[7] Also, while scones are frequently (but not always) sweet, and
served with coffee and tea, biscuits are served more as a bread, often with breakfast in the
South.
In recent years, scones under that name have begun to appear in coffee houses. They are
universally sweet, often containing fruit such as blueberries or raspberries, or else such
flavorings as cinnamon.
In Utah, the bread products locally called "scones" are similar to Native American frybread
and are made from a sweet yeast dough, with buttermilk and baking powder and/or soda
added, and they are fried rather than baked. They are customarily served with butter and either
honey or maple syrup.[9]

Scones are quite popular in Argentina as well as Uruguay. They were brought there by Irish,
English and Scottish immigrants and by Welsh immigrants in Patagonia (Britons are the third
largest foreign community in Argentina).[10] They are usually accompanied by tea, coffee or
mate.
Other usage

In Scots the verb scon means to crush flat or beat with the open hand on a flat surface, and
"scon-cap" or "scone-cap" refers to a man's broad flat cap or "bunnet".