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Cobbler
	A portion of mixed fruit cobbler
Place of origin	United States or England
Main ingredients	batter, biscuit, or pie crust; fruit or savory filling
Variations	Betty, grunt, slump, buckle, sonker, boot
	Cookbook: Cobbler; Media: Cobbler;

Cobbler is a dessert consisting of a fruit (or less commonly savory) filling poured into a large baking dish and covered with a batter, biscuit, or dumpling (in the United Kingdom) before being baked. Some cobbler recipes, especially in the American South, resemble a thick-crusted, deep-dish pie with both a top and bottom crust. Cobbler is part of the cuisine of the United Kingdom and United States, and should not be confused with a crumble.

Origin

Cobblers originated in the British American colonies.^[2] English settlers were unable to make traditional suet puddings due to lack of suitable ingredients and cooking equipment,^[2] so instead covered a stewed filling with a layer of uncooked plain biscuits, scone batter or dumplings, fitted together.^[3] The origin of the name cobbler, recorded from 1859, is uncertain: it may be related to the archaic word cobeler, meaning "wooden bowl",^[4] or the term may be due to the topping having the visual appearance of a 'cobbled' stone pathway. The verb cobble means to assemble from available parts, which can be used to describe using scraps of pie crust or leftover scone or biscuit to combine with whatever filling or fruit was readily available.^{[citation needed]}

Varieties

Note the crisp and crumble differ from the cobbler in that the former's top layers may also include rolled oats made with oatmeal.^[5]

North America

Grunts, pandowdy, and slumps are Canadian Maritimes, New England and Pennsylvania Dutch (Apple Pan Dowdy) varieties of cobbler, typically cooked on the stovetop, or in an iron skillet or pan, with the dough on top in the shape of dumplings. They reportedly take their name from the grunting sound they make while cooking. Another name for the types of biscuits or dumplings used is dough-boys. Dough-boys are used in stews and cobblers alike.^{[citation needed]}

In the United States, additional varieties of cobbler include the apple pan dowdy (an apple cobbler whose crust has been broken and perhaps stirred back into the filling), the Betty, the buckle (made with yellow batter [like cake batter] with the filling mixed in with the batter), the dump (or dump cake),^[6]^[7] the grump, the slump, and the sonker. The sonker is unique to North Carolina: it is a deep-dish version of the American cobbler.^[5]^[8]

Cobblers most commonly come in single fruit varieties and are named as such, e.g. blackberry, blueberry, and peach cobbler. The tradition also gives the option of topping the fruit cobbler with a scoop or two of vanilla ice cream.^[3] Savory cobblers are less common in the region; for example, tomato cobbler, which may include onion and a biscuit topping that may include cheese or cornmeal, is one savory variant that also resembles Southern tomato pie.^[9] Old California orchard cuisine features peach, pear, apricot, and, most prized by many, Black Tartarian cherry cobblers.^{[citation needed]}

The Texas Legislature designated peach cobbler as the official cobbler of Texas in 2013.^[10]

Betty

The American variant known as the Betty or brown Betty dates from at least the early 19th century.^[11] In 1864, in the Yale Literary Magazine, it appeared with "brown" in lower case, thus making "Betty" the proper name.^[11] In 1890, however, a recipe was published in Practical Sanitary and Economic Cooking Adapted to Persons of Moderate and Small Means with the word "Brown" capitalized, rendering "Brown Betty" the proper name.^[12]

Brown Betties are made with breadcrumbs (or bread pieces, or graham cracker crumbs), and fruit, usually diced apples, in alternating layers. They are baked covered and have a consistency like bread pudding.^{[citation needed]}

In the midwestern United States, apple Betty is often a synonym for apple crisp.^[13]

UK and Commonwealth

In the UK and Commonwealth of Nations, the scone-topped cobbler predominates, and is found in both sweet and savory versions. Common sweet fillings include apple, blackberry, and peach. Savory versions, such as beef, lamb,^[14] or mutton, consist of a casserole filling, sometimes with a simple ring of cobbles around the edge, rather than a complete layer, to aid cooking of the meat. Cheese or herb scones may also be used as a savory topping.^[15]

Cobblers and crumbles were promoted by the Ministry of Food during the Second World War, since they are filling, yet require less butter than a traditional pastry, and can be made with margarine.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b "Difference Between Cobbler, Crisp, Crumble and Betty". Cooking to Be Clever. 15 January 2013. Archived from the original on 28 March 2018. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
^ ^a ^b Shepherd, Johnny (2016). Puddings: Over 100 Classic Puddings from Cakes, Tarts, Crumbles and Pies to all Things Chocolatey. Orion Publishing Group. p. 62. ISBN 978-0-297-87055-5. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
^ ^a ^b "About Cobbler". ifood.tv. Archived from the original on 2022-08-11. Retrieved 2022-03-10.
^ Harper, Douglas. "Cobbler (n.2)". Online Etymological Dictionary. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
^ ^a ^b "Best Apple Crisp Recipe". Betty Crocker. 7 December 2020. Archived from the original on 1 March 2019. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
^ Filippone, Peggy Trowbridge (6 April 2015). "Dump Cake Recipe". The Spruce. Archived from the original on 10 November 2017. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
^ Ellis-Christensen, Tricia (25 November 2016). Wallace, O (ed.). "What is Dump Cake?". WiseGeek. Archived from the original on 22 June 2020. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
^ Stradley, Linda (2017). "History and Legends of Cobblers". What's Cooking America. Archived from the original on 16 July 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
^ "Savory Tomato Cobbler". MyRecipes. Southern Living. June 2013. Archived from the original on 18 June 2020. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
^ Hatch, Rosie (Ed.) (2022). Texas Almanac 2022-2023. Austin, Texas: Texas State Historical Association. p. 21. ISBN 9781625110664.
^ ^a ^b Davidson, Alan; Tom Jaine; Soun Vannithone (2008). The Oxford Companion to Food. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-280681-9.
^ Hinman Abel, Mary (1890). Practical sanitary and economic cooking adapted to persons of moderate and small means. Rochester, NY: American Public Health Association. OCLC 14799381. Retrieved 12 June 2012.
^ Staff, Farmers' Almanac (2017-11-19). "Crisp, Crumble, Betty, Or Buckle: Which Is Which?". Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2022-03-10.
^ "Herby Lamb Cobbler Recipe". Good Good. BBC. 2012. Archived from the original on 4 October 2018. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
^ "Beef Cobbler Recipe". The Green Chronicle. 2012. Archived from the original on 12 September 2016. Retrieved 1 June 2012.