Why Certain Biscuits Are Known As Catheads

In the vast library of Southern foods, cathead biscuits are large and in charge. While the recipe for Southern biscuits can vary wildly from one family's cast-iron skillet to the next, if you call it a cathead, that biscuit's gotta be big. The phrase traces back to the 19th century. Passed down through generations by word of mouth, the term "cathead" comes from an old Appalachian saying about the food being the size of a cat's head. 

Similar to tender drop biscuits, the kind you make by scooping the dough off a big spoon with another big spoon, these sandwich-sized biscuits were often patted out by hand, too. Some, however, used soup cans to cut out the biscuits, which also accounted for their oversized nature. There's a lot of flexibility here in how cathead biscuits are made, as long as they are so large and soft that they could anchor a plate of gravy or hold together a thick slice of salt-cured ham.

Apart from the way in which the biscuits were formed, the type of fat used in cathead biscuits has evolved with time, too. Bacon grease would have been a popular choice in the 19th century, and that's probably why a lot of biscuit lovers associate catheads with shortening. Now, butter is commonly used to make these biscuits — and is served alongside them.

Southerners also love gravy when it comes to any-sized biscuit. Smother those catheads in gravy and add some Southern flair.  This big biscuit makes the perfect breakfast and brunch sandwich, so fill it with the classic bacon, egg, and cheese, and don't forget that it's so easy to fold cheddar and Parmesan into a buttermilk biscuit. 

In addition to all the savory ways we can enjoy catheads, they're just as delicious when they're sweet. During the holidays, a popular way to serve catheads is with chocolate gravy, another Southern treat with roots in Appalachia. You'll usually find an array of homemade fruit butters, jams, jellies, or preserves with a Southern biscuit spread, too. A pat of butter with slow cooker peach butter stuffed inside the biggest biscuit ever is truly a Southern experience that never gets old.