noun | part ofencyclopedia/cuisine
Pronounced:\beez-coh-chee-tohz\\biz-coh-chee-tohz\ |IPA: /biz koʊ tʃi toʊz/
Definition of biscochitos / bizcochitos
- affectionate/diminutive term for bizcocho “cake” in Spanish, literally “little cakes” or “baby cakes”. New Mexican; a traditional cookie with a relatively simple recipe that consists of four ingredients (anise, cinnamon, sugar, and butter or lard). Although biscochitos are are frequently eaten around holidays and fiestas (Christmas, the New Year, fiestas, and the Fourth of July) they are also consumed year round. Biscochitos are an traditional dessert in New Mexican cuisine, dating back to the Santa Fe de Nuevo México culture. Because the biscochito is a traditional treat within the state, it has a special recognition and distinction as New Mexico’s official state cookie.
see also:lexicon/new-mexican-cuisine
Examples of biscochitos / bizcochitos
Origin of biscochitos / bizcochitos
The biscochito, spelt bizcochito in New Mexican Spanish, is a cookie that was developed in Santa Fe de Nuevo México. The cookie was originally created by the Spanish colonists and the Native American Pueblos, based on lard cookies from European cultures, especially of Portugal and Spain. The cookie is considered to be a variation of the shortbread and lard cookies popular throughout Latin America, specifically the Mexican wedding cookie. Since the biscochito is a folk cookie itself, it too has several minor variations; for example, along Route 66, particularly recipes originating in city centers from the 1950s, it isn’t uncommon to see margarine being used instead of lard or butter.
It is often incorrectly assumed that biscochitos are a form of Mexican wedding cookies or Russian tea cakes. However minor the distinction, the Mexican wedding cookie is considered to be a form of a jumble pastry, whereas the biscochito is a butter or lard shortbread. Each cookie had relatively independent histories, each with regional variations.
First Known Use: 17th-18th century
