Ladyfingers, or in British English sponge fingers (sometimes known by the Italian name or by the French name ) also known in the

Haredi Jewish Haredi Judaism ( he, ', ; also spelled ''Charedi'' in English; plural ''Haredim'' or ''Charedim'') consists of groups within Orthodox Judaism that are characterized by their strict adherence to ''halakha'' (Jewish law) and traditions, in oppos ...

community as baby fingers (due to concerns of

modesty Modesty, sometimes known as demureness, is a mode of dress and deportment which intends to avoid the encouraging of sexual attraction in others. The word "modesty" comes from the Latin word ''wikt:modestus, modestus'' which means "keeping within ...

), are low-density, dry, egg-based, sweet

sponge cake Sponge cake is a light cake made with egg whites, flour and sugar, sometimes leavened with baking powder. Some sponge cakes do not contain egg yolks, like angel food cake, but most of them do. Sponge cakes, leavened with beaten eggs, originated ...

biscuits roughly shaped like large fingers. They are a principal ingredient in many dessert recipes, such as

trifle Trifle is a layered dessert of English origin. The usual ingredients are a thin layer of sponge fingers or sponge cake soaked in sherry or another fortified wine, a fruit element (fresh or jelly), custard and whipped cream layered in that o ...

s and charlottes, and are also used as fruit or chocolate gateau linings, and sometimes for the sponge element of

tiramisu Tiramisu ( it, tiramisù , from , "pick me up" or "cheer me up") is a coffee-flavoured Italian dessert. It is made of ladyfingers (savoiardi) dipped in coffee, layered with a whipped mixture of eggs, sugar, and mascarpone cheese, flavoured w ...

. They are typically soaked in a sugar

syrup In cooking, a syrup (less commonly sirup; from ar, شراب; , beverage, wine and la, sirupus) is a condiment that is a thick, viscous liquid consisting primarily of a solution of sugar in water, containing a large amount of dissolved sugars ...

liqueur A liqueur (; ; ) is an alcoholic drink composed of spirits (often rectified spirit) and additional flavorings such as sugar, fruits, herbs, and spices. Often served with or after dessert, they are typically heavily sweetened and un-aged beyond ...

, or in coffee or espresso for tiramisu. Plain ladyfingers are commonly given to infants, being soft enough for teething mouths, but easy to grasp and firm enough not to fall apart.

History

Ladyfingers originated in the late 15th century at the court of the

Duchy of Savoy The Duchy of Savoy ( it, Ducato di Savoia; french: Duché de Savoie) was a country in Western Europe that existed from 1416. It was created when Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor, raised the County of Savoy into a duchy for Amadeus VIII. The duc ...

, and were created to mark the occasion of a visit by the King of France. Later, they were given the name ''savoiardi'' and recognized as an "official" court biscuit. They were particularly appreciated by the younger members of the court and offered to visitors as an example of the local cuisine.

Name

They have gained many regional names: * In Argentina: * In Australia: sponge fingers * In Austria: * In Bosnia, Croatia, and Serbia: /, / * In Brazil: (champagne biscuits) * In Bulgaria: ''bishkoti'' () * In Canada: ladyfingers * In Chile: (champagne biscuits) * In China: (, finger biscuits) * In Colombia: (tongues, after their form) * In Cuba: * In the Czech Republic: (long sponge biscuits) or (confectioner's biscuits) * In El Salvador: ''suspiros'' * In Finland: ''tiramisukeksit'' (tiramisù biscuits), ''savoiardikeksit'' (savoiardi biscuits), and ''sokerikakkukeksit'' (sugar cake biscuits) * In France: or (spoon cookies/biscuits) or * In Germany: (spoon cookies/biscuits) * In Greece: (, a French adaptation of the Italian name) * In Guatemala: * In Hungary: (baby sponge cake) * In Indonesia: (cat's tongue cookies) * In Iran: ''latifeh'' () * In Israel: () * In Italy: * In North Macedonia: ''biskviti'' () * In Mexico: (little soles) * In Flanders and the Netherlands: (long fingers) * In Pakistan: ''bistiks'' ( بسٹیکس) * In the Philippines: or (Spanish for some more nutritive types of bread, sometimes misspelled as ''brojas''); variants include '' camachile'' and ''

lengua de gato Lenguas de gato are Filipino butter cookies. They are made from butter, flours, sugar, eggs, and milk. Their name means "cat's tongue" in Spanish, after their characteristic oval shape. They are very thin and crunchy. See also *Cat's tongue co ...

'' * In Poland: (cats' little tongues) or Biszkopty (Polski)
Carrefour. Poland. (sponge cakes/biscuits) * In Portugal: (champagne biscuits) or * In Romania: * In Russia: (, lady's fingers) * In Slovakia: ( Konditor's biscuits) * In Slovenia: ("baby cookies") * In South Africa: sold as boudoir biscuits, but best known as finger biscuits * In Spain: (little sole biscuits) * In Taiwan: (fingers-cookie) * In Turkey: (cat's tongue) * In the United Kingdom: sponge fingers,

boudoir A boudoir (; ) is a woman's private sitting room or salon in a furnished residence, usually between the dining room and the bedroom, but can also refer to a woman's private bedroom. The term derives from the French verb ''bouder'' (to sulk ...

biscuits, baby biscuits, funeral biscuits, savoy biscuits, or boudoir fingers * In the United States: ladyfingers * In Uruguay and Venezuela: (insoles) *In Vietnam: bánh sâm banh (Champagne)

Preparation

Like other sponge cakes, ladyfingers traditionally contain no chemical

leavening agent In cooking, a leavening agent () or raising agent, also called a leaven () or leavener, is any one of a number of substances used in doughs and batters that cause a foaming action (gas bubbles) that lightens and softens the mixture. An alterna ...

, and rely on air incorporated into the eggs for their "sponge" texture. Some brands, though, contain

ammonium bicarbonate Ammonium bicarbonate is an inorganic compound with formula (NH4)HCO3. The compound has many names, reflecting its long history. Chemically speaking, it is the bicarbonate salt of the ammonium ion. It is a colourless solid that degrades readily to ...

. The

egg white Egg white is the clear liquid (also called the albumen or the glair/glaire) contained within an egg. In chickens it is formed from the layers of secretions of the anterior section of the hen's oviduct during the passage of the egg. It forms arou ...

s and

egg yolk Among animals which produce eggs, the yolk (; also known as the vitellus) is the nutrient-bearing portion of the egg whose primary function is to supply food for the development of the embryo. Some types of egg contain no yolk, for example bec ...

s mixed with sugar are typically beaten separately and folded together with flour. They contain more flour than the typical sponge cake. The mixture is piped through a

pastry bag A pastry bag (or piping bag in the Commonwealth) is an often cone- or triangular-shaped bag made from cloth, paper, plastic, or the intestinal lining of a lamb, that is squeezed by hand to ''pipe'' semi-solid foods by pressing them through a na ...

in short lines onto sheets, giving the biscuits their notable shape. Before baking,

powdered sugar Powdered sugar, also called confectioners' sugar, or icing sugar, is a finely ground sugar produced by milling granulated sugar into a powdered state. It usually contains between 2% and 5% of an anti-caking agent – such as corn starch, po ...

is usually sifted over the top to give a soft crust. The finished ladyfingers are usually layered into a dessert such as tiramisu or trifle.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ladyfinger (Biscuit) Biscuits Cakes Italian pastries