Ever Wonder...Where Did "Cookies" Come From?

     October is National Cookie Month! Have you ever wondered where did cookies come from? The origination of the cookie is just as sweet as they taste! In the USA and Canada a cookie is a small, flat, baked treat, usually containing oil, flour, eggs and sugar. In most English-speaking countries outside North America, the most common word for this cookie is biscuit; in many regions both terms are used, while in others the two words have different meanings.Cookies are most commonly baked until crisp. They also can be cooked to remain soft, but some kinds of cookies are not baked at all. Cookies are made in a wide variety of styles, using lots of different ingredients including sugars, spices, chocolate, butter, peanut butter, nuts or dried fruits.
     Cookies originated from 7th century Persia, shortly after the use of sugar became relatively common in the region. They spread to Europe through the Muslim conquest of Spain. By the 14th century, they were common in all levels of society, throughout Europe, from royal cuisine to street vendors.Travel became so far spread at the time, that cookies made a natural travel companion, a modernized equivalent of the travel cakes used throughout history. One of the most popular early cookies, which traveled especially well and became known on every continent by similar names, was the jumble, a relatively hard cookie made largely from nuts, sweetener, and water.
     Cookies came to America in the early English settlement (the 17th century), although the name "koekje" arrived with the Dutch. This became Anglicized to "cookie" or cooky. Among the popular early American cookies were the macaroon, gingerbread, and of course many other varieties! The most common modern cookie, given its style by the creaming of butter and sugar, was not common until the 18th century. What is your favorite cookie? Oreo... Girl Scout... Chocolate chip...They are all so yummy, how can we ever decide on just one?

~wikipedia.com~