19^th Century: Lady Fingers

Snappy lady fingers used to be called ‘sponge fingers’ and they evolved from the classic sponge cakes of the nineteenth century. They are the English version of an Italian savoiardi biscuit, which means ‘from Savoy’, explaining the link with the English sponge cakes which were also called Savoy biscuits. The Aosta Valley of Italy, in the Alps, was once known as the Duchy of Savoy, and the biscuits were said to have come from these parts.

It is hard to determine where the biscuit was