National Shortbread Day Date in the current year: January 6, 2024

Alhough National Shorbread Day is an American celebration, it roots can be traced to Scotland, since the very first shortbread was baked there. There is evidence that shortbread was known as early as the 12th century, but its refinement is credited to Mary, Queen of Scots who ruled in the 16th century. At that time shortbread was expensive due to containing lots of sugar and butter, so it was served as a luxurious dessert for special occasions only.

Shortbread is known for its crumbly texture that is caused by a high amount of butter in the dough (shortbread dough typically contains three or four parts of flour, two parts of butter and one part of sugar). Unlike many other baked goods, shortbread contains no leavening of any kind.

Today shortbread can have any shape, but traditionally it was baked round and then cut into triangles. This shape represented the sun, as food historians believe. Some believe that shortbread was inspired by pagan Yule cakes. Modern shortbread is cooked in any shape, but the most common once are triangles, round buiscits, and fingers.