It's a UK / US thing

[damian_steele]

When the Americans cook beef stew and biscuits, are the biscuits soft or hard?

Is this what we in the UK call beef stew and dumplings?



Also, if in America these are buns: what do they call buns?

[JanetB]

The American biscuit reminds me of English scones.

When the Americans cook beef stew and biscuits, are the biscuits soft or hard?

Is this what we in the UK call beef stew and dumplings?



Also, if in America these are buns: what do they call buns?

[TexasAda]

If the nonyeasted blobs of dough, leavened with baking powder, are cooked atop or in the beef stew, they usually come out soft and are called dumplings. Biscuits are produced from the same type of dough but are baked on metal sheets or pans in an oven and come out slightly crisper and drier, but flaky, fluffy and tender is the goal. Dumplings are also a Chinese product, often with filling, whereas American dumplings are solid dough.

By the way, what we call cookies and I think you call biscuits, are usually flatter and much sweeter and elaborate than what we call biscuits.

Buttocks are buns in slang. Bun is a hairstyle like chignon. Also of course, "a bun in the oven" means pregnant. Buns in the food world are usually yeast bread and as far as I know, almost the same as what we call rolls. Your photograph appears to show what we call hot cross buns, an Easter specialty.

[damian_steele]

If the nonyeasted blobs of dough, leavened with baking powder, are cooked atop or in the beef stew, they usually come out soft and are called dumplings.

In the UK they are called dumplings, yes. However, I asked because I noticed that on a number of US cookery sites they are referred to as biscuits.

For example: http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/b...d-biscuit-stew

That is why I asked for clarification, but now you seem to be suggesting that even within the US there are disagreements over what they are called.

[hurryb4itsgone]

These are biscuits vs dumplings because:
1. they are not in the stew, they are on top of it
2. they are cooked by baking vs being cooked by simmering in the stew

[kazeran]

"Two nations divided by a common language?"

[damian_steele]

"Two nations divided by a common language?"

Quite.

[damian_steele]

Thanks for your input everyone.