National Buttermilk Biscuit Day Date in the current year: May 14, 2026

The term “biscuit” can be tricky because it refers to different types of food in different languages and even in different dialects of English. The word derives from the medieval Latin term biscoctus, meaning “twice-cooked” or “twice-baked”. Medieval biscuits were indeed cooked in a two-step process: first baked and then dried in a slow oven. This resulted in hard, long-lasting baked goods that were easy to store and carry and could be softened by dunking them in a liquid.

Today, in most English-speaking countries, the term “biscuit” refers to small, hard, unleavened, flour-based baked goods that are almost always sweet. However, Americans typically call such baked goods “cookies” and use the term “biscuit” for a type of soft quick bread made with flour, butter or another solid fat, buttermilk, salt, and a chemical leavener such as baking soda or baking powder.

Hard biscuits were brought to the New World by English and Scottish settlers, who took them aboard ships because they did not spoil during the long voyages. Americans modified the recipe, making biscuits fluffier and more bread-like. They were popular because they were made from simple, affordable ingredients and did not require expensive, difficult-to-store yeast.

Modern buttermilk biscuits emerged in the American South during the 19th century, particularly in the Appalachian and plantation regions. Several factors contributed to the transformation of hard, dry European-style baked goods into soft, fluffy Southern biscuits, including the wider availability of chemical leaveners, the use of Southern wheat flour with lower gluten content, and the abundance of buttermilk and inexpensive animal fats from farms. The combination of buttermilk and baking soda or baking powder is crucial because it produces carbon dioxide, which makes the biscuits rise and become light and fluffy.

Today, buttermilk biscuits are typically served warm for breakfast with butter, honey, molasses, cane syrup, sorghum syrup, maple syrup, or jam. They can also be cut in half to make breakfast sandwiches, similar to English muffins. Popular fillings include country ham, fried chicken, sausage, bacon, scrambled eggs, and tomato.

Another popular breakfast option with buttermilk biscuits is biscuits and gravy. This Southern staple emerged after the Revolutionary War when many foodstuffs were in short supply. Biscuits soaked in sausage gravy were an inexpensive, nutritious meal made with simple ingredients — a perfect breakfast before a long day of physical labor. As soft buttermilk biscuits became more common, they replaced harder biscuits as the primary ingredient in biscuits and gravy.

Buttermilk biscuits can also be served for dinner as a side dish, accompanying fried chicken, Southern barbecue, and some Lowcountry soups and stews. Southern Thanksgiving dinners often feature biscuits as well.