Let’s face it, Sunday dinner isn’t the same without biscuits. There are so many ways to enjoy biscuits, whether you eat them topped with sausage gravy for breakfast, as a side with crispy fried chicken, or even as part of a recipe. While they are an essential across the country today, not many people know where they originate. The original biscuit was baked twice, which made them very dry and hard. This form of biscuit was a staple for soldiers and sailors as they were essentially crackers with a long shelf life. Southern biscuits as we know them came later during the 19th century. Biscuits were (and still are) made in various forms depending on who is making them. There are beaten biscuits, drop biscuits, and buttermilk biscuits (like the ones we make). In 1845, Alexander P. Ashbourne, an early inventor originally born into slavery, invented the biscuit cutter. This device provided biscuits with form, and even cut dough into custom shapes outside of the traditional round biscuits. The original Southern buttermilk biscuit was made by rolling pieces of dough into a ball, then placing them in a cast iron skillet to bake. Over the years as times have changed and life has become so fast-paced, not everyone has time to spend 35-50 minutes making biscuits from scratch. We get it, sometimes you just need to rest; that is why we have done all the work for you. Mason Dixie biscuits are made from scratch using fresh ingredients, just like your mama used to make them!