The Anzac biscuit is a sweet
biscuit, popular in Australia and New Zealand, made using
rolled oats
Rolled oats are a type of lightly processed whole-grain food. Traditionally, they are made from oat groats that have been dehusked and steamed, before being ''rolled'' into flat flakes under heavy rollers and then stabilized by being lightly ...
, flour, sugar, butter (or margarine),
golden syrup,
baking soda
Sodium bicarbonate (IUPAC name: sodium hydrogencarbonate), commonly known as baking soda or bicarbonate of soda, is a chemical compound with the formula NaHCO3. It is a salt composed of a sodium cation ( Na+) and a bicarbonate anion ( HCO3∠...
, boiling water, and (optionally)
desiccated coconut. Anzac biscuits have long been associated with the
Australian and New Zealand Army Corps
The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) was a First World War army corps of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force. It was formed in Egypt in December 1914, and operated during the Gallipoli campaign. General William Birdwood com ...
(ANZAC) established in
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
.
It is thought that these biscuits were sent by wives and women's groups to soldiers abroad because the ingredients do not spoil easily and the biscuits kept well during naval transportation.
Anzac biscuits should not be confused with
hardtack
Hardtack (or hard tack) is a simple type of dense biscuit or cracker made from flour, water, and sometimes salt. Hardtack is inexpensive and long-lasting. It is used for sustenance in the absence of perishable foods, commonly during long sea voy ...
, which was nicknamed "
ANZAC wafers" in Australia and New Zealand.
Anzac biscuits are an explicit exemption to an Australian ban on commercial goods that use the term "Anzac", so long as they are sold as "biscuits" and not "cookies".
Origins
The origin of Anzac biscuits is contested between Australia and New Zealand, similar to the dispute over
pavlova. The actual recipe for the biscuit has been found long before the formation of the ANZAC Corps, and many of the first recipes for Anzac biscuits differ from the modern version.
The earliest known recipe combining the words 'anzac' and 'biscuit' is a recipe from 1916 for "ANZAC GINGER BISCUITS" which was published on 4 June 1916 in the
Perth
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth i ...
edition of ''
The Sunday Times
''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, w ...
''. However, this recipe contains no mention of oats present in modern anzac biscuits. The first recipe for something called "Anzac Biscuits" appears in an Australian publication, the ''War Chest Cookery Book'' (Sydney, 1917), but this recipe was also for a different biscuit from what we know as the modern Anzac biscuit.
The same publication, the ''War Chest Cookery Book'' (Sydney, 1917), also included the first two recipes for biscuits resembling modern Anzac biscuits, under the names of "Rolled Oats Biscuits" and just "Biscuits".
The first recorded instance of the combination of the name 'Anzac biscuit' and the recipe now associated with it was found in
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
dating to "either late 1919 or early 1920".
Another early recipe for the Anzac biscuit dates back to 1921 in an Australian newspaper called ''
The Argus''.
These early recipes did not contain desiccated coconut which is present in many modern Anzac biscuits.
The first recipe for an Anzac biscuit containing the desiccated coconut is recorded to be from the city of Adelaide in 1924.
In 1919 in New Zealand a recipe for Anzac Crispies in the eighth edition of the St Andrew's Cookery Book had similar ingredients to modern Anzac biscuits.
Current popularity
Today, Anzac biscuits are manufactured commercially for retail sale. Because of their historical military connection with the ANZACs and
Anzac Day, these biscuits are still used as a fundraising item for the
Royal New Zealand Returned Services' Association
The Royal New Zealand Returned and Services' Association, best known simply as the RSA, is one of the largest voluntary welfare organisations in New Zealand and one of the oldest ex-service organisation
A veterans' organization, also known as a ...
(RSA) and the
Returned and Services League of Australia
The Returned and Services League of Australia (RSL) is a support organisation for people who have served or are serving in the Australian Defence Force.
Mission
The RSL's mission is to ensure that programs are in place for the well-being, care ...
(RSL). Special collectors old-style biscuit tins with World War military artwork are usually produced in the lead up to Anzac Day and sold in supermarkets, in addition to the standard plastic packets available all year. The official RSL biscuit is produced by ''Unibic'' under licence.
A British (though still Australian-produced) version of the Anzac biscuit, supporting the
Royal British Legion
The Royal British Legion (RBL), formerly the British Legion, is a British charity providing financial, social and emotional support to members and veterans of the British Armed Forces, their families and dependants, as well as all others in ...
, is available in several major supermarket chains in the UK.
Legal issues
The term Anzac is protected under Australian law and cannot be used in Australia without permission from the
Minister for Veterans' Affairs;
misuse can be legally enforced particularly for commercial purposes. Likewise similar restrictions on naming exist in
New Zealand law
The law of New Zealand uses the English common law system, inherited from being a part of the British Empire.
There are several sources of law, the primary ones being statutes enacted by the New Zealand Parliament and case law made by decisions ...
.
There is a general exemption granted for Anzac biscuits, as long as these biscuits remain close to the traditional recipe and are both referred to and sold as Anzac biscuits and never as
cookies
A cookie is a baked or cooked snack or dessert that is typically small, flat and sweet. It usually contains flour, sugar, egg, and some type of oil, fat, or butter. It may include other ingredients such as raisins, oats, chocolate chi ...
.
This traditional recipe dates back to the 1920s, however there was much variation with recipes, with some including ingredients no longer considered traditional, such as eggs, fruit or jam.
Similarly to the use of the term Anzac, the Anzac biscuit is protected by regulations, regulating any commercial usage of this product so that it remains true to its traditional values.
Primarily, such regulations pertain to the recipe,
in which its commemorative value stems from its recipes in history,
as well as the name of the product.
While it is legally acceptable to substitute ingredients in a recipe to cater to dietary requirements, there is a commercial disallowance for any substantial modification of the recipe such that they deviate too far from traditional Anzac biscuit recipes.
Variations of recipes posted on social media or written in cookbooks that merely include Anzac biscuits are excluded from regulations.
As a result of the aforementioned restrictions to the Anzac biscuit recipe, the
Subway chain of restaurants dropped the biscuit from their menu in September 2008. After being ordered by the
Department of Veterans' Affairs
Veterans' affairs is an area of public policy concerned with relations between a government and its communities of military veterans. Some jurisdictions have a designated government agency or department, a Department of Veterans' Affairs, Minist ...
to bake the biscuits according to the original recipe, Subway decided not to continue to offer the biscuit, as they found that their supplier was unable to develop a cost-effective means of duplicating the recipe.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anzac biscuit
Biscuits
Australian cuisine
Australian desserts
Australian snack foods
New Zealand cuisine
New Zealand desserts
New Zealand snack foods
ANZAC
Foods containing coconut
Oat-based dishes
Military food