Shortbread
Scottish shortbread is one of the many great inventions that Scotland has given to the world. A good quality shortbread is a crumbly melt in the mouth sweet treat.
Walkers Shortbread is one of the country's largest food exports and in December 2007 the Aberlour based company was Food and Drink Exporter of the Year 2007 at the Food from Britain Export Awards
What Is Shortbread?
Shortbread is at heart a very simple recipe that's easy to make, being a mixture of flour, butter and sugar. The basic recipe consists of one part sugar, two parts butter and three parts flour however there are many variations of this such as "butter rich" and "extra sweet". The mixture is shaped and baked at a low temperature to produce a crumbly biscuit that's white is off-white or slightly brown in colour.There are also a huge variety of "exotic" versions which add other ingredients such as fruit peel, nuts and even chocolate. Apparently you can also make a form of shortbread with polenta, however I have to say I'm rather sceptical about that idea!
For total indulgent luxury you can also buy millionaire's shortbread. This consists of a layer of buttery shortbread topped with a layer of caramel and a final layer of chocolate. I confess to finding this irresistable.
The traditional shape for shortbread is circular, either individual cookie circles or rolled into a single large circle then, after baking, cut into segments called "Petticoat tails". Today you're more likely to buy shortbread in rectangular slabs, presumably because this fits better with the commercial production and packaging processes.
History
The history of shortbread is uncertain, it certainly goes back hundred of years and possibly to the 12th century.Shortbread probably evolved from the tradition of using up leftover dough from other baking to form a simple biscuit. Over the years more butter and sugar was added to the mixture until it became a luxury that, back then, was reserved for holidays and celebrations such as weddings. Even then the poorer members of society would probably eat shortbread that had been bulked out with ground oats rather than make or purchase the best recipes.
Some people credit the "definitive" form of shortbread to Mary, Queen of Scots who was apparently partial to shortbread petticoats.
