Have you ever dunked a biscuit? Do you like your biscuits crunchy or soggy? Sit back with a nice cup of tea and enjoy this episode of Aprender inglés con Reza and Craig.
Voice message from Ana Fernandez who is preparing for her B2 level exam.
Good use of present perfect cont. ‘I have been listening to you…..’
I hope this is the first time this question Xcomes outX – ….has come up (to come up – surgir, salir)
We use auxiliary verbs for emphasis:
I believe – I DO believe
I cleaned my room yesterday – I DID clean my room yesterday.
I love you – I DO love you!
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Biscuits
Vocabulary
Pronunciation and spelling BISCUIT – cookie (US) – cookies are small, flat and sweet and often have chips inside
In the United States a “biscuit” is a quick bread, similar to a scone, and is usually unsweetened.
Dunking – To dunk or to dip a biscuit means to put it into a drink, especially tea, coffee, or milk.
What other things can you dunk?
Types of biscuits
Marie biscuit – similar to a rich tea biscuit (rice tea is the most popular type of Marie biscuit in the UK). Also known as Maria, Mariebon, and Marietta.
“The Marie biscuit was created by the London bakery Peek Freans in 1874 to commemorate the marriage of the Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia to the Duke of Edinburgh.
It became popular throughout Europe, particularly in Spain where, following the Civil War, the biscuit became a symbol of the country’s economic recovery after bakeries produced mass quantities to consume a surplus of wheat.” – Wikipedia
Shortbread – Walker’s shortbread is popular in Scotland.
Digestive – semi-sweet, originated in Scotland – developed in 1839 by two Scottish doctors to help with digestion
Wafer – Crisp, often sweet, very thin, flat, and dry biscuit, often used to decorate ice cream. Wafers can be made into cookies with cream flavoring sandwiched between them. (Kit Kat)
Have you ever had a finger? Cadbury’s fingers – crunchy, shortbread finger covered in milk chocolate
The Garibaldi biscuit has squashed currants (flies?) and baked between two thin pieces of biscuit dough—a sort of currant (pasa) sandwich
The Bourbon is a biscuit sandwich – two thin rectangular dark chocolate–flavoured biscuits with a chocolate buttercream filling.
Fig roll – The fig roll or fig bar is a sweet roll filled with fig paste in the middle, that dates back to ancient Egypt, where it is still eaten today.
A custard cream is a type of biscuit popular in the British Isles. Its structure is that of a sandwich, with a creamy, custard-flavoured (vanilla) centre between two flat biscuit layers.
Hobnobs is the brand name of a commercial biscuit. They are made from rolled oats (Rolled oats are traditionally oat groats that have been dehusked and steamed, before being rolled into flat flakes under heavy rollers and stabilized by being lightly toasted), McVities Hobnobs – the biscuit marine! – voted best dunking biscuit in 2016 in UK.
Jaffa Cakes (named after Jaffa oranges) Sponge cake, orange-flavoured jam, chocolate
Cake or biscuit? Went to court in 1991 – Decided that the Jaffa cake should be considered a cake for tax purposes. Best selling cake (or biscuit!) in the United Kingdom in 2012.
Recommended recipe book for biscuits and cookies: Chewy, gooey, crispy, crunchy melt-in-your-mouth cookies” by Alice Medrich.
Chewy – to chew – masticar
Gooey – pegajoso
Crispy / Crunchy – crujiente
To take the biscuit – to be too much/excessive eg. I’ve accepted all my wife’s bad behaviour, but her affair with my cousin is taking the biscuit!
To risk it for a biscuit – to take a risk for a good reward
Discussion
What’s your favourite biscuit?
Do certain biscuits dunk better in certain drinks? Tea, coffee, milk, hot chocolate?
Do Spanish supermarkets offer a wide enough biscuit selection?
How important is the quality of the chocolate in a chocolate biscuit?
Why are the British so good at making biscuits(…and not so good at some savoury things)?
…and now it’s your turn to practise your English. What’s your favourite biscuit? Do you dunk them or prefer them dry? Do you have any favourite biscuit recipes?
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On next week’s episode: Different Uses of the Word LAST
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