GoKawiilLotus Bakeries' Biscoff cookie traces US rise to 1986 Delta peanut shortage
Biscoff, a sweeter variation of Belgium's traditional speculaas cookie, was largely unknown in the US until Delta Air Lines began serving it in 1986 as a stopgap replacement for peanuts during a domestic peanut shortage. The cookie, made by Lembeke-based Lotus Bakeries since 1932, had already built popularity in Belgium through a 1950s strategy of individually wrapping cookies and partnering with cafes to serve them alongside coffee. Lotus Bakeries now describes Biscoff as the world's fifth-bestselling cookie.