The History of Cookies

Crispy or soft, sweet and delicious, almost everyone around the world loves cookies. These tiny treats take many forms and names across the world, ranging from the crispy "biscuits" of England, to the almost cake-like goodness found in America. Chocolate chip cookies are even under consideration as the official cookie for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania! Cookies are usually fairly simple and made up of things you probably have on hand. Often early cookies were flavored with almond or other kinds of nuts, bits of fruit or exotic spices such as cinnamon and other spices that came from the Orient and Middle East.

Cookies share a common history with the hard biscuits soldiers carried into battle. Hardtack, zweibeck, sea biscuits and biscotti are just a few names crunchy, hard cookies are known by. Cookies of this type often last for months, which is the reason they were chosen as soldier's rations in the days before preservatives and plastic wrap. Often they were not especially sweet and twice baked in order to achieve their distinctive crunch. At their worst, these kinds of pastry are best eaten crumbled and soaked in water or milk, and at their best they are the perfect accompaniment to a hot cup of Italian coffee. The kinds carried by soldiers were frequently little more than flour and water - very much like a cracker!

It is believed that cookies as Americans are familiar with them were actually discovered, as many good things are, by accident. Bakers would bake a small amount of cake batter as a test of oven temperature, and from that cookies were born. Today there is a huge variety of cookie available. Pretty much if you can eat it, it has ended up in some kind of cookie or biscuit. Others believe one of the first cookies originated in Rome. It was made of a paste of flour and water that was boiled then spread on a plate to dry. When it dried, it was then cut up and fried, then served with honey and pepper. This more closely resembles the little crispy snacks offered at Asian-themed restaurants than the gooey, cake-like treats most Americans are more familiar with.