Eating cookies with tea is a different pleasure. Just hearing the name of cookies makes the mouth water. Many types of cookies including chocolate, dry fruits, berries are available in the market. Some people consider biscuits and cookies as different but it is not so. Although cookies were made in western countries, today every Indian’s hospitality is incomplete without it. Now along with sweets, cakes and chocolates, it is also gifted to loved ones on Diwali and Christmas. Today 4th December and on this day National Cookie Day Is celebrated as.
what are cookies
Baked snacks are called cookies in American English. It is made from flour, sugar and eggs. It is called biscuit in British English. In America and Canada, cookies are also called quick bread or bars. There has always been a demand for fresh cookies in the bakery. In Scotland the word cookie is also used for flat bread. This word has been in use since 1701. The cookies are baked in a sheet size and when they become solid, they are cut into small pieces.
Cookies made as soon as baking begins
The history of baking goes back thousands of years. Baking first started in ancient Egypt. About 4620 years ago, bread was baked with the help of hot stones or hot ashes. Clay ovens began to be made in the Mesopotamian civilization. For the first time, an oven was made in ancient Greece in which pastries as well as bread were made. Cookies are considered sweet bread. Cookies started being made as soon as baking started. Some historians believe that cookies were first made in Persia i.e. Iran. From this country it reached Spain and gradually became famous throughout Europe. By the 14th century, it was being eaten by everyone from the poor to the rich.
Mughals for the first time mixed flour and sugar, baked it in tandoor and made desi cookies (Image-Canva)
Dutch traders brought cookies to India
Dutch citizens are behind popularizing cookies in the world. He was the one who made the people of America and India taste it. Cookies are called Koekje in Dutch. When Dutch traders reached India, they settled in India itself. Indians also learned to make cookies from them.
Special cookies made for guests
In our country, guests are considered equal to gods, that is why it is said, Atithi Devo Bhava. But guests were served with cookies not only in India but also in England. In the 16th century, Queen Elizabeth I of England baked matching cookies for her special guests. He is called Gingerbread Man. The shape of these cookies was like human bodies. Whereas tea and cookies came together after the Industrial Revolution. When the workers got tea break in the evening, they preferred to eat cookies with tea because it was a light snack and was also available cheap.
Beer was made from cookies
British food writer Lizzie Collingham’s book ‘The Biscuit: The History of a Very British Indulgence’ Has written many interesting things about cookies. According to the book, in the ancient Sumerian civilization, people used to store cookies made from barley and after it became old, they used to make beer from it. Date juice was also added to it. An Italian cooking handbook suggested that cookies made from fennel and figs were eaten after dinner to avoid bloating. These cookies were also eaten to get relief from bad breath.
Parle G biscuits are sold the most in India (Image-Canva)
It is not good to eat too many cookies
Flour, sugar and butter are used extensively in cookies. Many surveys conducted around the world have revealed that apart from junk food, cookies also make people gain weight rapidly. Cookies contain high amount of sugar which can increase insulin and the person can become a victim of diabetes. Most of the cookies sold in the market are processed which affects the metabolism. Cookies also increase dehydration. By eating these the digestion process starts weakening. Eating biscuits with tea is even more dangerous because there is sugar in tea as well as in biscuits.
How to make healthy cookies at home
According to Chef Manish Arora, mix wheat, millet or barley flour with desi ghee, knead it and give it a round shape into small balls. Bake a big sized pan on coal or gas on low flame. After 15 minutes, place the dough ball on it and keep baking it until it is cooked. When it becomes crispy i.e. hard, remove it from the pan. Healthy cookies are ready. Similarly, different types of cookies can be made by adding sesame seeds, coconut powder or dry fruits to the dough. At the same time, if the cookies are to be baked in the oven, then preheat the oven first. Then bake the dough ball in it at a temperature of 350°F.
Tags: eat healthy, food, food business, Food Recipe, Food Stories, Healthy Foods
FIRST PUBLISHED: December 4, 2024, 12:42 IST
