ANZAC biscuit

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ANZAC biscuits, made without coconut.

ANZAC Biscuits are a snack food most commonly made from the primary ingredients of rolled oats, coconut, and golden syrup.

Many myths surround the origin of the ANZAC Biscuits. One story is that the biscuits were made by Australian and New Zealand women for the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) soldiers during World War I, that they were reputedly first called "Soldiers' Biscuits" then renamed "ANZAC Biscuits" after the Gallipoli landing.^{[citation needed]}

The recipe was reportedly created because any food sent to the soldiers was carried via the Merchant Navy to the soldiers, the transportation of said food would take upwards of two months. The basis of the recipe was rolled oats, then utilising other ingredients that did not spoil easily. One notable omission from any ANZAC biscuit recipe is that of eggs. This was due mostly to the scarcity of eggs (the poultry farmers having joined the war effort).^[1]

The biscuit was occasionally known as the 'ANZAC tile' due to its rock like consistancy. Some soldiers would grind up the biscuit, preferring to eat it like a porridge rather than as a snack biscuit.^[2]

Research carried out by Professor Helen Leach, a culinary anthropologist at the University of Otago in New Zealand, revealed that the first time the name "ANZAC" appeared in the name of the biscuit in a recipe book was in 1921. That occurred in the renaming of the "oatmeal biscuit" recipe to "ANZAC crispies", in the ninth edition of the St Andrew's Cookery Book. Subsequent editions renamed this to be "ANZAC Biscuits". ^[3]

Exactly the same recipe was included in contemporary recipe books as "rolled oats biscuits", (and none of these recipes included coconut - not until 1927). The oatmeal or rolled oats biscuits were developed in the Scottish-influenced city of Dunedin as a variation of Scottish oat cakes.

Today, the ANZAC Biscuits are manufactured commercially for retail sale because of their military connection with the ANZACs and Anzac Day. These biscuits are often used as a fundraising item for the RSA and the RSL veterans organisations. ANZAC Biscuits made using the traditional recipe are also carried by bush-bashers (bushwalkers) as a food of last resort; due to their tough constitution and good keeping properties enabling these biscuits to survive many days of rough travel.

The term ANZAC is protected under Australian law ^[4] and therefore the word should not be used without permission from the Minister for Veterans' Affairs ^[5]; misuse can be legally enforced particularly for commercial purposes. There is a general exemption granted for ANZAC Biscuits, as long as these biscuits remain basically true to the original recipe and are both referred to and sold as ANZAC Biscuits and never as cookies. ^[6]

A British version of the ANZAC biscuit, supporting the Royal British Legion, is available in several major supermarket chains.^[7]