Attention à la longueur du mail!
Là
http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodcookies.html
on trouve ceci:
"Shortbread...A biscuit (cookie) rich in butter, which is served with tea and its traditionally eaten at Christmas and New Year. Originating from Scotland and traditionally made with oatmeal, it is now made with wheat flour...Shortbread is usually baked in a large round and served cut from the centre into triangles; it is a relic of the ancient New Year cakes that were symbols of the sun."
---Larousse Gastronomique, Jenifer Harvey Lang [Crown Publishers:New York] 1988 (p. 974-5)"
et ceci aussi:
" Crackers, Oyster crackers, Saltines & Vermont common crackers.
Food historians tell us small hard biscuits were probably first made by ancient Middle Eastern peoples. These foods were quite practical, as they were filling, easily transported and able withstand adverse weather conditions. This is why cracker-type foods have a long history in military rations. Ancient Roman armies ate biscuits, Nelson's sailors ate Ship's biscuit, and Civil War soldiers ate hardtack. These are all related in method and ingredients to the tasty crackers we buy in today's supermarket.
Many cultures and cuisines have developed their own special crackers. Italian biscotti, Jewish mandlebrot, German zwieback and English rusk are some examples. The word "cracker" appears to have originated in North America sometimes in the 18th century. Food historians generally agree that the light, crispy crackers we Americans know today appeared in the 19th century. This concides with the "discovery" of chemical leaveners such as baking soda and powder.
"Cracker
A name first used in N. America,f rom the mid-18th century onwards, for a plain, unsweetened, dry, hard, bread product; thus corresponding to part of the domain covered by the wider English term "biscuit." When crackers are broken into pieces they make a cracking noise, which accounts for the name. Crackers may be leavened or unleavened. Those of the former sort were formerly baked by a particular method which called for a dough leavened with bicarbonate of soda (hence the term "soda cracker") and left to stand until pockets of carbon dioxide formed in the mixture. When biscuits of this dough were placed in a very hot oven they rose quickly, giving the characteristic texture. Unleavened crackers may be made from flour and water only (as are matzos) or with the addition of a little salt. Some examples of this sort are the small oyster crackers, used on top of seafood chowders, and the crackers know as ship's biscuit...The cracker barrel was an institution in American general stores and groceries which sold crackers loose in bulk. The term was first used in print in the 1870s..."
---The Oxford Companion to Food, Alan Davidson [Oxford University Press:Oxford] 1999 (p. 222)"
Je ne connaissais pas les shortbreads crackers, mais cela pourrait être une sorte d'hybride pour la forme et le côté croustillant (moins sableux).
Sinon cela pourrait être les "scottish crackers", à base d'avoine (oat), plutôt que de farine, et encore moins sucré, qu'on utilisse un peu comme le pain de mie chez nous dans les brunchs, avec charcuterie, poisson,... . Je crois que Walker en fait aussi.
