What’s even more interesting is that many Tudor biscuits were made entirely without refined sugar, relying instead on honey, spices, and dried fruit for flavor. Exploring these recipes offers not only a delightful culinary adventure but also insight into a time when sugar was an exotic luxury reserved for the very rich.
This article delves deep into the history of Tudor biscuits, explains why sugarless versions were common, and provides a step-by-step guide for making your own authentic-style Tudor biscuits at home.
What Were Biscuits in Tudor England?
The word biscuit comes from the Latin bis coctus, meaning “twice cooked.” In Tudor England, biscuits were closer to what we might call rusk, hard tack, or ship’s bread—dry, hard, and meant to last for weeks. They were practical for travel, soldiers, or sea voyages.
However, there were also more refined versions made for court or gentry households, flavored with spices like caraway, aniseed, or nutmeg. These biscuits were still relatively plain by modern standards—certainly not the soft, chewy, sugar-laden cookies we know today.
Even at Elizabeth’s lavish banquets, many “sweet” dishes used very little or no refined sugar, because it was expensive, imported from the Mediterranean or the New World, and heavily taxed. Honey and fruit were the primary sweeteners available to most people. shutdown123