The mere sight of soft, crumbly scones is precisely the reason we stow a 6-pack of them into our supermarket trolleys, eagerly anticipating the moment when we can pop the kettle on, split a scone in half, laden it with strawberry jam and heavy cream and devour it in one large mouthful.
A large mouthful
Etymology shows us the word ‘scone’ could have been derived from schoonbrood (the Middle Dutch word for fine white bread) or come from the Scots Gaelic word sgonn meaning large mouthful. We’re leaning towards the latter since it’s the appropriate way for us Aussies to devour a scone. But before you do that, let’s get one thing straight: it’s a s-con, not a s-cone.
Inspired by an ancient Welsh tradition
Historically, scones weren’t as upright as they are today. They were born of the ancient Welsh tradition of cooking small, round yeast cakes on bakestones. The first written reference to scones was by a poet in 1513, when they were almost as large as a plate. A scone was made using oats and hand-formed into a large round before being scored into four or six wedges and griddle-baked over an open fire.
Scones became a fashionable part of afternoon tea, which we can thank the hungry Duchess of Bedford for since she made it part of her ‘light food’ repertoire taken a few hours before dinner every day in the comfort of her boudoir.
Modern scones
Today’s scones may resemble some of these characteristics of yesteryear, but the preparation process is largely different, for it’s unlikely anyone today will wait around for something to cook in a griddle over a flame.
Instead of oats, we use flour. In place of eggs and sugar, we use lemonade. To replace butter, we use cream. And milk? It’s reserved for tea. The flat griddle shape is long gone in favour of round, square, diamond and even traditional wedge shapes. Gone are the stodgy scones of bygone days. Today’s afternoon tea connoisseurs prefer them light and airy, cooked in electronic devices like ovens, slow cookers and even air fryers. Scones have become regulars in teahouses, supermarkets and the quick-and-easy sections of cookbooks.
But no matter where they originated or how they are made, one thing remains the same. No matter the century or the location, these delicious schoonbroods are still devoured in one large mouthful.
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