What's better than scones and afternoon tea? Perhaps scones and clotted cream during tea time! Learn about the age-old British ritual of afternoon tea, the difference between afternoon tea and high tea, clotted cream origins, and even a dispute between British counties. Of course, we can't forget the history of our delicious scones that have been a long-lasting addition to the tea tradition and intertwined with all these fascinating subjects.
Early Beginnings
Scones are believed to have originated in Scotland, although they are also connected to Britain and Ireland. Its name is said to have come from the Scottish name for the Stone of Destiny, where Scottish kings were thought to have been crowned. The first known print reference of scones was in 1513 in a Scottish version of the Aeneid by poet Gavin Douglas, although scones themselves could potentially have been invented much earlier.
Scones are related to the ancient Welsh tradition of making small round yeast cakes, which are basically leavened breads on bake stones.
The first scones were made from barley flour or oatmeal, rolled into a round shape, and baked on a griddle over an open fire. They were made in cast iron pans and commonly found in rural England and Wales. Back then, the scones were cooked in round circles that were later cut into wedges (similar to a pizza), rather than shaped into wedges before baking as they are today. When afternoon tea was first introduced, these scones were the perfect snack to accompany the tea (more on this tea ritual below).
Afternoon Tea
In the mid-19th century, one woman decided that waiting eight hours between meals was far too long (dinner was served late at 8 o'clock). This woman was Anna, the Duchess of Bedford, and she decided a little snack was needed between meals. One day, as she instructed her butler to bring her tea with bread and butter, she essentially invented a new meal that is still embraced across the world today and firmly entrenched in British tradition. Anna continued this habit and soon invited friends to join her.
Word spread about Anna's afternoon tea ritual, and soon all the upper-class ladies across the country were gathering in elegant living rooms with their finest china and silver tea sets. Afternoon tea turned into a fashionable social event, usually at 4 PM, where a hostess and her guests maintained careful ceremony and etiquette. These ladies wore gloves, gowns, and hats, and used this time to indulge in gossip, imported teas, and finger foods like sandwiches, pastries, and scones with clotted cream (more below).
Nowadays, the busy working lives of many British people do not allow them time to sit down, drink tea, and eat scones. If it does occur, it's far less elegant is more likely to be a biscuit or small cake with a mug of tea from a teabag. This quaint and quintessentially British tradition is generally saved for holidays or special treats. The Ritz in London is a renowned place that serves a true afternoon tea, although in extreme high demand where bookings are generally made months in advance.
While we're on the subject of tea rituals, you have heard about "high tea" before and thought it was the same as afternoon tea. However, they are slightly different due to their origins. With the fancy ceremony of afternoon tea, it was clearly meant for the richest ladies in the 19th century. For wage workers in the recently industrialized country, they couldn't afford these silver tea sets or any breaks, so tea time had to wait until after work. As it was now at a later hour, tea was generally served with more filling dishes than scones and cakes. Workers needed sustenance after a day of hard work, so this hearty meal of eggs, fish, or meat was accompanied by a strong tea to revive tired spirits. The word "high" added to "high tea" is believed to come from the change in seating, where afternoon tea was generally served at low parlor chairs, and worker's high tea was served at bar tables with high back dining chairs.
A Scone's Perfect Pair
As in the afternoon tea rituals, scones have been paired with clotted cream for centuries, and they're still commonly eaten together today. Clotted cream is a golden, rich cream product that originated in Southwest England from farmers who tried to reduce the amount of waste from milk. It has long been disputed whether it actually was first invented in Devonshire or Cornwall county, as well as which area makes it best (this will be important!!).
Clotted cream is made by cooking the cream of cows that produce high-fat milk. Traditionally, the cream was skimmed from the top of the milk and gently heated in pans until the cream rose to the surface in "clots" and left a rich crust behind. Today's commercial clotted creams are generally sold in jars without the crust. Clotted cream is as thick as butter yet tastes like cream with a high butterfat content of 55%.
Back to the disputed between Devonshire and Cornwall. Devon cream tea is essentially a specific afternoon tea ritual famous world-wide that consists of hot sweet tea, scones (generally plain), strawberry jam, and the most important ingredient - Devon clotted cream. Although the cream is quite rich, it is not very sweet, so the strawberry jam complements it nicely. This same cream tea, however, is often served in the neighboring Cornwall county with the name Cornish cream tea. The famous disagreement between these two counties is in the "right" way to have cream tea. The Cornish believe it's better to do jam first, then cream when spreading on the scone, but the Devonians believe it should be a thick layer of cream followed by a dollop of jam on top. This controversy continues today as people argue which is better (either sounds delicious to me to be honest).
Left: Devon cream tea set. Middle: Devon-style cream on jam scones. Right: Cornish-style jam on cream scones.
Clotted cream is actually also found in other countries in cultures as well, though it goes by different names. For example, in India it is called malai, in the Middle East it is called kaymak, and in Mongolia it is called urum, where it is added to salted tea.
Modern Twists
Today’s scones are quick breads, similar to a hard, dry American biscuits. They are generally made with flour, sugar, leavening agents of baking powder or baking soda, butter, milk, and eggs, and baked in an oven rather on a griddle. Scones are usually found in America in traditional wedge form, but they can now also be found in round, square, and diamond shapes.
Traditional English scones may include raisins or currants, but are often plain (such as those in Devon cream tea) and use jam, preserves, lemon curd, honey, or clotted cream (of course) for added flavor and/or texture. More modern scones often have dried fruit such as cranberries and dates, nuts, orange rind, chocolate morsels, and other flavorings baked inside. these are often best enjoyed without butter, jam, or other toppings due to their inherent flavors.
Fun Fact: There are two pronunciations of scone, but both are correct! The word is pronounced “skahn” in Scotland and Northern England (rhymes with gone) and “skoan” (rhymes with own) in Southern England, America, and Canada.
In the U.S., afternoon tea isn't as much of a tradition, so scones have adapted to be a breakfast/brunch bread alternative or a light snack (the blueberry scones at Panera Bread are delicious any time of day, in my humble opinion).
Plain and even savory scones can be eaten for lunch and dinner. Scone recipes vary far and wide today - there are buttermilk scone recipes, chocolate scones, chocolate chip scones, treacle scones, glazed and frosted scones, and newer variations like Parmesan-garlic scones. Substituting heavy cream for the butter and eggs in a traditional scone recipe will produce a more moist and light scone rather than the dense one traditionally used. A moist scone can even be split like a shortcake biscuit, topped with fruit and whipped cream, and served for dessert!
Scones are quite intertwined into British history and traditions, with the various tea rituals from afternoon tea and high tea, to the controversies surrounding Devon cream tea and Cornish cream tea. They are also incredibly versatile, as their different flavors and toppings make them perfect for any meal as a bread substitute. Next time it's "tea time," grab a scone and perhaps some clotted cream and jam, and see if you like Cornish-style or Devon-style better!
Link to my blueberry scone recipe.
Link to my post on the chemistry & science behind scones.
Want to Learn More? (always cite your sources, kids)
https://www.thenibble.com/reviews/Main/breadstuffs/Scone-history.asp
https://www.nytimes.com/1982/09/05/travel/britain-s-best-at-teatime.html
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2014/jun/12/how-to-eat-cream-tea-scones-jam
https://www.thespruceeats.com/afternoon-vs-high-tea-difference-435327
Comentarios