The Baking Company Behind The Great British Bake Off's American Name Change

The ocean that separates the United States and the United Kingdom is big; no one could ever doubt that. But a larger fissure remains: that of language. The United Kingdom has crisps and biscuits, while stateside, we call these foods potato chips and cookies. When the beloved but controversy-laden show, "The Great British Bake Off," crossed the pond to the United States, it had to undergo a name change to "The Great British Baking Show". It might initially appear to be a change stemming from language, but it was actually due to a trademark issue. 

While this difference is small, it is certainly enough to leave some American fans of the series properly discombobulated. The term "bake-off" is trademarked in the United States by Pillsbury, the company behind cake mixes, canned biscuits perfect for a dinner upgrade, and crescent rolls that can be used as the base for homemade breakfast pizza. The term "bake-off" has been trademarked by the company since 1971 in order to protect the name of its famous annual (and for a time, biennial) Pillsbury Bake-Off, which invites home cooks to submit their very best recipes using Pillsbury products.

You're probably familiar with the Pillsbury Bake-Off, at least in some capacity. After all, it is one of the most treasured cooking competitions in the country. The first Pillsbury Bake-Off, then called the Grand National Recipe and Baking Contest, was held in 1949. Eleanor Roosevelt, the former First Lady of the United States, was a special guest at the competition. Home cooks across the country were challenged to create a recipe that featured Pillsbury flour. It didn't take long for the competition to become a cultural institution, and each year, cooks from around the country still come together to show off their baking bona fides. 

Some of the winning original recipes have even become baking staples in American households. In fact, the classic Christmas cookie, Peanut Blossoms, was a product of the 1957 competition. Although the recipe, invented by Freda Smith, didn't win the competition, it still — like the Bake-Off itself — endures as a cultural icon.