cathead biscuits
Big fluffy biscuits about the size of a cat's head.
Also called catheads, cat head biscuits.
Updated September 21, 2026
cathead biscuits pronunciation
/KAT-hed BIS-kits/
Meaning
Cathead biscuits are oversized Southern biscuits, often drop-style or hand-shaped, meant to fill a plate. Folks name them for the size, not the filling. You find them in Appalachia and across the rural South, piled with gravy, butter, or jelly before they cool.
How folks use it
- “Mama pulled a pan of cathead biscuits out of the oven and the whole kitchen went quiet.”
- “If them biscuits ain't cathead size, don't even bother putting the gravy boat out.”
Origin and etymology
Named for looking about as big as a cat's head. Dialect Notes and DARE place early uses in Tennessee, North Carolina, and West Virginia, with citations back to around 1930. The name stuck because size is the whole point.
Frequently asked questions
Do they have cat in them?
No. Just flour, fat, and a joke about how big they are.