| Empire biscuit | |
| Alternate Name: | Empire Cookie, Imperial biscuit; double biscuit, German biscuit, Linzer biscuit, Deutsch biscuit, Belgian biscuit, biscuit bun |
| Country: | Scotland |
| Type: | Cookie |
| Main Ingredient: | Biscuits, jam in between two biscuits. The top is covered with white glace icing, usually decorated with a jelly sweet |
An Empire biscuit (Imperial biscuit, Imperial cookie, double biscuit, German biscuit, Belgian biscuit, double shortbread, Empire cookie or biscuit bun) is a sweet biscuit eaten in Scotland and some Commonwealth countries. It is also popular in Northern Ireland, as well as Canada (particularly iconic in Winnipeg and Hamilton).[1]
The Empire biscuit was originally known as the "Linzer biscuit", and later as the "Deutsch biscuit". With the outbreak of the First World War it was rechristened the Empire biscuit in England. The biscuit was also renamed in Scotland and New Zealand to the Belgian biscuit, as a result of the invasion of Belgium.[2] Despite this, in Northern Ireland it remains known as the German biscuit or biscuit bun. In Scotland the name varies depending on the region, with the North-east few people call it a double shortbread and the West an Empire biscuit. In Northern Ireland it is commonly found with a jam and coconut topping. It is also known as the "Belgian biscuit", due to being topped in a similar way to a Belgian bun, which is made of pastry or dough.There also exists a biscuit similar to the Jammie Dodger which is referred to as a Linzer biscuit.
The typical Empire biscuit has a layer of jam in between two biscuits, typically shortbread. The top is covered with white water icing, usually decorated with a glace cherry in the centre, but Dew Drops are common too. They are derived from the Austrian Linzer Augen,[3] a similar shortbread cookie sandwich which has 1-3 small round cut outs (the "eyes") in the upper cookie and is dusted with powdered sugar. The empire biscuit does not have a cut-out section on the top and is decorated with white icing.
Empire biscuits are similar to Viennese whirls.
Known as a "Belgium" or as a "Belgian biscuit" in New Zealand, this type of biscuit gained popularity towards the end of the Great War and is now typically found either in biscuit or slice form. Typically, spiced biscuits are filled with raspberry jam and topped with pink or white icing, with raspberry jelly crystals scattered on top instead of the cherry. These are quite different to the Empire biscuit, which bears more similarity to a New Zealand 'Shrewsbury'. The name Belgian biscuit refers to a similar biscuit with a distinct appearance.[4]
Other foods renamed for political reasons include: