Both are correct, but “biscoito” entered the Portuguese language first, and this is the only criterion by which it is possible to point out a winner. The two terms are equivalent with regard to legislation and are also both valid when applying their etymology to the way food is produced today in Brazil. The country is currently the second largest producer of biscuits/cookies in the world, with 1,200 tons manufactured per year, according to the National Association of the Biscuit Industry (Anib). Also according to the organ, the product is present in 99.9% of Brazilian homes and the average purchased by people in each visit to the market is 700 g.
Duel of titans
The definitive result of the most famous brawl on the Internet
Round 1: Cookie Etymology
“Biscuit” comes from the Latin bis (twice) + coctus (cooked) and arrived in Portuguese through the French word “bescuit”, which appeared in the 12th century. last longer without spoiling. The practice of baking more than once applies to the wafer (stuffed biscuit) of today, because it goes into the oven four times.
Round 2: Cookie Etymology
“Bolacha” comes from “bolo” (from the Latin “bulla”, spherical object) with the suffix “acha”, which indicates diminutive. The Dutch word “koekje” means the same thing and spawned terms like “cookie” and “cracker”. To differentiate from cookies, it is agreed that koekje and derivatives are those that use a lifting component, such as yeast. Brazilian products use it, so we can call it cookies
Round 3: Legislation
Who regulates the product is the National Health Surveillance Agency, which considers the two terms as synonyms. They are defined as: “product obtained by kneading and convenient cooking of dough prepared with flours, starches, fermented starches, or not, and other food substances”. And, yes, the organ takes into account the variations with coverage and filling and says that it is really all the same
Round 4: Insertion in the Portuguese language
The tiebreaker comes from the fact that the two words entered the Portuguese language at different times. The oldest record that the report found for “cookie” is from 1543. As for “biscoito”, the record found is from 1317, still in the form “bíscoyto”. There are those who say, however, that “biscoito” only entered Portuguese in the 15th century – even so, decades before “bolacha”
A COUNTRY DIVIDED
How it is said in each state of Brazil
What the manufacturers say
We asked the five largest producers in Brazil how they name their products
Nestlé –“Nestlé understands both terms as correct, but uses “biscuit” in its brands because this is a convention of the Brazilian industry”
Bauducco –“There is no specific reason for the nomenclature “biscuit”, it is a category convention. There is no correct term, so much so that the legislation uses the term ‘biscuit or wafer’”
M. Dias Branco -“The use of nomenclature is a regional issue. M. Dias Branco uses “biscuit” as a standard to define its products”
mondelez -“At Mondelez Brasil, products are called “cookies”. The rationale for using the term is that it is the same as the Anib class entity”
Marilan -Sought by the report, the company did not comment until the closing of this edition
SOURCES National Biscuit Industry Association (Anib), books Naval Hygiene Treatyby JB Fonssagrives, Old Portuguese: An Approachby Rosa Virgínia Mattos e Silva, and Portuguese Discoveries: Documents for Their History. Published and Prefaced by João Martins da Silva Marques; theses “Novidade de Palalavras” in 15th Century Portuguese, by Mário José Silva Meleiro, and The Treatise on Portuguese Cuisine – Codex IE 33: Cultural and Linguistic Aspects, by Antonieta Buriti Hosokawa
CONSULTANCY Nick Malgieri, patissier and writer