Digestive biscuit

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A digestive biscuit, sometimes referred to as a sweetmeal biscuit, is a British semi-sweet biscuit. The name "digestive" comes from a belief that the biscuits had antacid properties due to the use of bicarbonate of soda when they were first conceived.

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[edit] History

The digestive biscuit was invented at Mcvities in Edinburgh in 1892 by Alexander Grant. They were advertised as aiding digestion, yet subsequent scientific research has concluded this as untrue. While rumors exist that consequently it is illegal for them to be sold under that name in the USA, in fact they are widely available in imported food sections of grocery stores and by mail order. The Original Digestive biscuit is still the ninth biggest biscuit brand in the UK.

[edit] Ingredients

The typical digestive biscuit contains coarse brown wheat flour (which gives it its distinctive texture and flavour), partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, sugar, wholemeal, cultured skimmed milk, partially inverted sugar syrup, raising agents, and salt. A biscuit averages around 70 calories, although this sometimes varies according to the factors involved in its production.

[edit] Consumption

Digestive biscuits are frequently eaten in the UK with tea or coffee. Often, the biscuit is dunked into the tea and eaten quickly due to the biscuit's tendency to disintegrate. [1]

Each year, 71 million packets of these are sold in the United Kingdom, which corresponds to 51 biscuits eaten per second. Digestives are also popular in cookery for making into bases for cheesecakes and similar desserts. [2]

[edit] Chocolate digestives

Chocolate digestive biscuits also are available, coated on one side in plain, milk, or white chocolate. Originally produced by McVitie's in 1925, other recent varieties include the basic biscuit with chocolate shavings throughout, or a topping of caramel, mint chocolate as well as chocolate. If dunked in tea with the chocolate side uppermost, the increased tensile strength of the chocolate makes the biscuit less likely to disintegrate before it can be eaten (until the chocolate also melts)[citation needed]. The annual sales of chocolate digestives total about £35 million, about 71 million packets or 52 biscuits per second. The US travel writer Bill Bryson described the chocolate digestive as a British masterpiece.[3]

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ [1]
  2. ^ [2] [3] [4]
  3. ^ Bill Bryson ; Notes from a Small Island ; William Morrow, 1996 ; ISBN 0688147259

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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