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A scone ( or ) is a traditional British and Irish baked good, popular in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. In the US, Scones are a different baked product from the rest of the world, usually sweeter, triangular in shape and served on their own. Scones are usually made of either wheat flour or oatmeal, with baking powder as a leavening agent, and baked on , or fried in a frying pan. A scone can be either lightly sweetened or savoury, and can be occasionally glazed with egg wash. The sweetened scone is a basic component of the cream tea, and the afternoon tea. It differs from and other types of sweet breads that are made with yeast. Scones were chosen as Ireland's representative for Café Europe during the presidency of the European Union in 2006.
The difference in pronunciation is alluded to in a poem:
On the other hand, Sheila MacNiven Cameron derives the word from the town of Scone () (, ) in Scotland, the ancient capital where Scottish monarchs were crowned, and on whose Stone of Scone the monarchs of the United Kingdom are still crowned today.Weiner and Albright. Simply Scones. St. Martin's Press, 1988, p. 3.
In regard to Griddle scones, in the Scots language and the Northumbrian English dialect, a griddle is called a girdle. The transposition of the sounds is due to linguistic metathesis.
When baking powder became available to the masses in 1843, the British sweetened scone that is known today first appeared. The first written recorded reference to the scone being part of the cream tea, was in The Cornishman in 1932, however it is reported that Devonians had adopted scones prior to the Cornish.Modern scones are now widely available in bakery, Convenience stores and . 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 purchase and .
Scones sold commercially are usually round, although some brands are , as this shape may be tessellation for space efficiency. When prepared at home, they may take various shapes, including triangles, rounds and squares. 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.
In 2023, a West London woman completed a decade-long project to sample a scone at every National Trust location (244 sites across England, Wales and Northern Ireland). Scones became a staple of afternoon tea in the early 19th century, a tradition reputedly popularized by Anna, Duchess of Bedford, who introduced the practice of enjoying scones with tea as a light refreshment between meals.
The Griddle scone (most dialects of English language), which are also known as girdle scone (Scots language and Northumbrian English), Drop Scones (Scots), and as a Singin' Hinnie (Northumbrian English) is a variety of scone which is baked on a griddle or frying pan rather than in an oven. In New Zealand, griddle scones are generally cooked as one large disk shaped mass which is divided into wedges for serving, often with golden syrup or jam.
Other varieties include the lemonade scone, which is made with clear lemonade and cream instead of butter and milk. The fruit scone or fruited scone contains currants, sultanas, peel and glacé cherries mixed into the dough.
In some countries one may also encounter savoury varieties of scone that may contain or be topped with combinations of cheese or bacon.
Scones can be presented with various toppings and condiments, typically butter, jam and cream. Strawberries are also sometimes used.
In Newfoundland and Labrador, American scones exist there as a very similar baked good known as a “tea bun”. Tea bun recipes often include evaporated milk and may be either sweet or savoury, frequently containing raisins, blueberries, lingonberries, molasses, crowberries, coconut, or salted pork. As the name suggests, tea buns are typically consumed alongside tea and may be topped with butter or various berry jams.
Cheese scones are a popular snack sold in British cafe or tea shops, where they are commonly served toasted with butter.
In Idaho and Utah, the bread products locally called "scones" are similar to Native American frybread or New Orleans beignets and are made from a sweet yeast dough, with buttermilk and baking powder or soda added, and they are fried rather than baked. They are customarily served with butter and either honey or maple syrup. as found here
International variations
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. 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 pan-fry them in dripping or oil; prepared this way, they are called "".
Canada
Scones of both British and American varieties are popular across Canada.
Hungary
In Hungary, a scone very similar in appearance to the British version exists under the name "pogácsa", although this is made with yeast and not baking powder. The name has been adopted by several neighbouring nations' languages. Pogácsa is almost always savoury and served with varied seasonings and toppings, like dill and cheese.
New Zealand
Scones make up a part of kiwiana, and are among the most popular recipes in the Edmonds Cookery Book, New Zealand's best-selling cook book. The Edmonds recipe is unsweetened, using only flour, baking powder, salt, butter and milk. Other ingredients such as cheese, sultanas and dates can be added.
South Africa
Scones are commonly served with cream and jam; grated cheddar cheese is another popular accompaniment.
South America
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). They are different in texture to British scones, and are usually accompanied by tea, coffee or mate, or as part of Merienda, an Argentinian afternoon tea.
United States
Unlike British scones, which are lighter and traditionally served with clotted cream and jam, American scones contain more butter and sugar, making them richer and intended to be eaten on their own. They are usually triangular, and often contain fruit such as blueberry or sultanas, or such flavorings as pumpkin, cinnamon or chocolate chips. They may also be topped with icing. They are often eaten as they are (not topped with butter, jam or cream), along with coffee or tea, and often appear in US coffee houses. American biscuits are similar to traditional British scones, but are usually savoury and served with savoury meals. Cobbler batter is also similar to the traditional British scones mixture.
Zimbabwe
In Zimbabwe scones are popular and often eaten for breakfast with English tea, jam and clotted cream. Originally brought to the country during its period of British colonial rule, the scone is sometimes seen as symbolic of the country's historic link to the UK that has become Zimbabweanified.
See also
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