Regional Foods: Maryland Beaten Biscuits

With chain restaurants dominating large segments of the market, it is becoming increasingly difficult to experience truly regional foods. Some regional foods such as Maryland crab cakes have been adopted far and wide, while others are nearly forgotten. We are proud to serve some of the lesser known regional specialties. One of those is Maryland Beaten Biscuits.

Beaten biscuits get their name from the way the stiff dough is traditionally prepared. Without traditional leavening, the dough was "beaten" with a mallet or axe handle. This process took at least 30 minutes and was frequently delegated to a child who was sent outside where the dough was beaten on a wooden block. From stories that are told, this task was more of a hardship on the youth of the area than having to walk long distances to school. We do not beat the dough on a block out back of the restaurant, but the biscuits are made in our kitchen. It is a tradition that we are proud to carry on.

"In her New Cookery Book (1857), Eliza Leslie slighted a southern tradition almost as sanctified as southern belles--Beaten Biscuits. "This is the most laborious of cakes," Miss Leslie said, "and also the most unwholesome, even when made in the best manner. We do not recommend it; but there is not accounting for tastes. Children could not eat these biscuits-nor grown persons either, if they can get any other sort of bread. When living in a town where there are bakers, there is no excuse for making Maryland biscuit. Believe nobody that says they are not unwholesome...Better to live on Indian cakes."
---American Heritage Cookbook and Illustrated History of American Eating & Drinking, Helen McCully recipes editor [American New York Heritage Publishing Co.] 1964 (p. 444)

There are bakers in this town and we beg to differ with Miss Leslie. Although Beaten Biscuits are not the most elegant representative of the baker's art, they may well be the heartiest. They have been mistaken for over-sized oyster crackers, but they are most often compared to golf balls. As you can see from the picture, there is merit in the comparison. Incidentally the biscuit in the picture is slightly heavier than the golf ball.

This biscuit is very hard, but never tough. Eating it presents a challenge for the uninitiated. It must be split and tends to be very crumbly. Some people prefer splitting with a fork, but we prefer using a butter knife. Generally it results in fewer crumbs.

Place the biscuit on a hard surface and pierce with a fork. Give the fork a gentle twist. Be prepared for the crumbs.

As you can see, by using the butter knife, there are fewer cumbs.

We do not anticipate that Maryland Beaten Biscuits will ever travel far outside our region, but we are proud to share the tradition with you. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do.