May is for Biscuits

Buttermilk Biscuit mix

Biscuits have been a staple of the Southern United States cuisine for many years and are often made with buttermilk. Before the American Civil War, biscuits emerged as an inexpensive addition to meals. Traditionally served as a side dish with butter, they are also served at breakfast with molasses, light sugarcane syrup, maple syrup, sorghum syrup, honey, jam or jelly or as a breakfast sandwich. This sturdier bread product soon became popular as people realized it absorbed the gravy on their plate better than plain bread. Soon a new family favorite, biscuits and gravy, was created. Alexander P. Ashbourne patented the first biscuit cutter in 1875. Supermarkets offer canned biscuits which are refrigerated until ready to be baked. In 1931, Ballard and Ballard patented these refrigerator biscuits.

National Buttermilk Biscuit Day is observed each year in the United States on May 14. However, National Biscuit Day is May 29 and the day is based off how much chitter-chatter and buzz there was on May 29, 2015 across social media making references to Biscuit Day.  WhatNationalDayIsIt.com’s algorithms examine all of the references to National Days across social media and updates WhatNationalDayIsIt.com hourly. Their crowdsourcing of data method to assess the National Biscuit Day was used as opposed to being connected with any Government sanctioned lists. 

Virginia Country Breakfast

Biscuits are made using baking powder or baking soda as a leavening agent rather than yeast.  A typical buttermilk biscuit recipe contains flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, butter, and buttermilk.  They are often referred to as a “quick bread”, indicating they do not need time to rise before baking. While being made, the dough is beaten and folded to incorporate air, which expands while baking, causing the biscuit to rise.

Ham and Biscuits

There are two days to celebrate biscuits in May, but we don’t need an excuse to enjoy them any day of the year. Our Biscuit section includes make your own biscuit mix , some ready to bake sweet potato and cream cheese biscuits, some biscuits with country ham and some ham and biscuit gifts.