Editing Shortbread (section)

==Name==
Shortbread is so named because of its crumbly [[Texture (food)|texture]] (from an old meaning of the word "short", as opposed to "long", or stretchy).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/schort_breid|title=Dictionaries of the Scots Language:: DOST :: schort breid}}</ref><ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/schort_adj|title=Dictionaries of the Scots Language:: DOST :: schort adj}}</ref><ref>"Of edible substances: Friable, easily crumbled." ''Oxford English Dictionary''.</ref> The cause of this texture is its high [[fat]] content, provided by the butter. The short or crumbly texture is a result of the fat inhibiting the formation of long [[protein]] ([[gluten]]) strands.  The related word "[[shortening]]" refers to any fat that may be added to produce a "short" (crumbly) texture.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=shortening|access-date=2007-01-25|title=Online Etymology Dictionary}}</ref>

In British English, ''shortbread'' and ''shortcake'' have been synonyms for several centuries, starting in the 1400s; both referred to the crisp, crumbly cookie-type baked good, rather than a softer cake.<ref name="Mariani 2014">{{Cite book|last=Mariani|first=John F.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=K5taAgAAQBAJ&dq=shortbread+shortcake&pg=PT1034|title=Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink|date=2014-02-04|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing USA|isbn=978-1-62040-161-3|pages=1034|language=en}}</ref>  The "short-cake" mentioned in [[William Shakespeare|Shakespeare's]] play ''[[The Merry Wives of Windsor]]'', first published in 1602, was a reference to the cookie-style of shortbread.<ref name="Mariani 2014" />

In American English, shortbread is different from [[shortcake]].<ref name="Mariani 2014" />  Shortcake usually has a chemical [[leavening agent]] such as [[baking powder]], which gives it a different, softer texture, and it was normally split and filled with fruit.<ref name="Mariani 2014" />  The most popular example of this difference is [[Strawberry shortcake (dessert)|strawberry shortcake]].<ref name="Mariani 2014" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last=Clarkson|first=Janet|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XPNgBwAAQBAJ&dq=shortbread+shortcake+encyclopedia&pg=PT1093|title=The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets|date=2015-04-01|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-931362-4|pages=1093|language=en|chapter=Shortcake}}</ref>