Cobbler (food) facts for kids
Plum Blueberry Cobbler
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| Place of origin | United States or England |
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| Main ingredients | batter, biscuit, or pie crust; fruit or savory filling |
| Variations | Betty, grunt, slump, buckle, sonker, boot |
A cobbler is a yummy dessert! It usually has a fruit filling, like peaches or berries. This fruit is baked in a dish and covered with a tasty topping. The topping can be made from batter, biscuits, or dumplings. Sometimes, especially in the southern United States, it looks like a deep-dish pie. Cobblers are popular in the United Kingdom and the United States. It's important not to confuse them with a crumble.
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Where Did Cobblers Come From?
Cobblers first appeared in the British American colonies. English settlers there couldn't make their usual suet puddings. This was because they didn't have the right ingredients or cooking tools.
So, they got creative! They covered a cooked fruit filling with a layer of plain biscuits or scone batter. These pieces were fitted together on top.
The name cobbler was first recorded in 1859. We're not totally sure where the name came from. It might be linked to an old word, cobeler, which meant "wooden bowl." Another idea is that the topping looks like a bumpy, "cobbled" stone pathway. It doesn't look like a smooth, rolled-out pastry.
Different Kinds of Cobblers
It's good to know that a crisp or a crumble is different from a cobbler. Crisps and crumbles might have rolled oats in their top layers.
Cobblers in North America
In the Canadian Maritimes and New England, you might find cobbler varieties called grunts, pandowdy, and slumps. These are often cooked on a stovetop. They can also be made in an iron skillet or pan. The dough topping is shaped like dumplings. People say they got their names from the "grunting" sound they make while cooking! Another name for these biscuit or dumpling toppings is dough-boys. Dough-boys are used in both stews and cobblers.
In the United States, there are even more types of cobblers. These include the apple pan dowdy, the Betty, and the buckle. A buckle is made with a yellow batter, like cake batter. The fruit filling is mixed right into the batter. Other types are the dump (or dump cake), the grump, and the slump.
A special kind of cobbler is the sonker. It's unique to North Carolina. The sonker is a very deep-dish version of the American cobbler.
Most cobblers are made with a single fruit. They are named after that fruit, like blackberry, blueberry, or peach cobbler. It's a tradition to serve fruit cobblers with a scoop or two of vanilla ice cream!
Savory cobblers are less common in North America. One example is tomato cobbler. It might have onions and a biscuit topping that includes cheese or cornmeal. It's a bit like a Southern tomato pie. Old recipes from California orchards often featured peach, pear, apricot, and even tartarian cherry cobblers.
What is a Betty?
The American cobbler variant called the Betty, or brown Betty, has been around since the early 1800s. In 1864, it was written with "brown" in lowercase, making "Betty" the main name. But by 1890, a recipe used "Brown" with a capital B, so "Brown Betty" became the proper name.
Brown Betties are made with breadcrumbs or pieces of bread. They can also use graham cracker crumbs. These are layered with fruit, usually diced apples. They are baked covered and have a texture similar to bread pudding. In the midwestern United States, "apple Betty" is often another name for an apple crisp.
Cobblers in the UK and Commonwealth
In the United Kingdom and Commonwealth of Nations, the cobbler usually has a scone topping. You can find both sweet and savory versions. Common sweet fillings include apple, blackberry, and peach.
Savory cobblers might have beef, lamb, or mutton fillings. These are like a casserole. Sometimes, the scone topping forms a ring around the edge instead of covering the whole dish. This helps the meat cook better. Cheese or herb scones can also be used for a savory topping.
Cobblers and crumbles became very popular during the Second World War. The Ministry of Food promoted them. This was because they were filling but needed less butter than traditional pastries. They could also be made with margarine.
See also
In Spanish: Cobbler para niños
