Although it's a myth that Anzac biscuits were sent and eaten by troops in Gallipoli, some evidence suggests a rolled oats based biscuit was sent to troops on the Western Front, although this is not widespread.
Anzac biscuits have long been associated with the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) established in World War I. It has been claimed 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.
The ingredients they used were rolled oats, sugar, plain flour, coconut, butter, golden syrup or treacle, bi-carbonate of soda and boiling water. All these items did not readily spoil. At first the biscuits were called Soldiers' Biscuits, but after the landing on Gallipoli, they were renamed ANZAC Biscuits.
The biscuits were sent by wives and women's groups to soldiers abroad, specifically the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC). Due to accessible ingredients, the simple cooking method and lack of eggs, the biscuits didn't easily spoil and kept well during naval transportation.
Keeping qualities were particularly important at the time, because Anzac biscuits were originally featured in care packages sent to soldiers during WW1.
“The biscuits must not substantially deviate from the generally accepted recipe and shape, and must be referred to as 'Anzac Biscuits' or 'Anzac Slice',” the Department of Veteran Affairs guidelines read. It also states that they cannot be referred to as 'Anzac Cookies'.
In 1942 biscuits became one of the foods being rationed for the public. The rationing scheme encouraged people to buy quality biscuits to obtain 'value for points' which worked in Huntley & Palmers favour against some of the cheaper biscuit manufacturers.
1: They were created around the time of WW1
At this time, the biscuits were being baked by volunteers sold in Australia and New Zealand to raise funds for the army. A similar type of biscuit was sent to the soldiers in war. However, these were rock-hard, which was necessary to improve their shelf life.
This iconic flavour actually tells us a lot about when they were first made in 1915 during World War I. Australian and New Zealand women used golden syrup to bind the biscuits — not eggs — so that the biscuits could survive the two- to three-month trip to troops in France.
Nowadays, Anzac biscuits are available in every supermarket, café, and at every school fete across Australia and New Zealand all year round – and there are reasons why they're so popular.
Bully beef (tinned corned beef), rice, jam, cocoa, tea, some bread and above all hard tack fed the Australian soldiers at Gallipoli. Hard tack, also known as "ANZAC Wafer", or "ANZAC Tile", has a very long shelf life, unlike bread.
Rum and milk was the beverage provided to soldiers at first light in preparation for battle. It was customary to add a tipple of rum to their cup of breakfast milk to help the soldiers shake off some nerves, or as one veteran digger put it, “give 'em a touch of courage”.
The use of the word 'Anzac' in the commercial production and sale of Anzac biscuits is usually approved, however the biscuits must not substantially deviate from the generally accepted recipe and shape, and must be referred to as 'Anzac Biscuits' or 'Anzac Slice' (not 'Anzac Cookies').
'Digger' was a colloquial name applied to Australia and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) personnel that developed during the war (although the term was already applied to miners back in Australia and New Zealand).
During the Civil War one of the most common meals for soldiers was a cracker-like food called hardtack. Hardtack is made from flour, water, and salt. It could last a long time- there is even hard tack from the Civil War in the museum at Manassas National Battlefield Park today!
Although it's a myth that Anzac biscuits were sent and eaten by troops in Gallipoli, some evidence suggests a rolled oats based biscuit was sent to troops on the Western Front, although this is not widespread.
If you under bake these, they'll be soft; if you over bake, they'll become a little harder, although they shouldn't become like rocks, as they'd burn first. I'm sure you'd notice that! ??? If your Anzacs spread, your butter was too warm. Chill them for at least 30 minutes before baking, and this should help.
The popular Anzac biscuit is a traditional, eggless sweet biscuit. Early recipes did not include coconut. The following recipe (without coconut) was published in The Capricornian (Rockhampton, Queensland) on Saturday, 14th August 1926.
The biscuit that most of us know as the Anzac biscuit is a sweet biscuit made from rolled oats and golden syrup. These must not be confused with that staple of soldiers' and sailors' rations for centuries, the hardtack biscuit.
ANZAC (an acronym for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) was initially used to refer to only those soldiers who fought at Gallipoli, but later the term came to mean any Australian or New Zealander who served in World War I.
According to taste.com.au Food Editor Miranda Payne, the traditional Anzac biscuit was the harder, crunchy version. Over time, the original recipe was modified with variations being cooked for less time (making them chewier) or adding more sugar (so they're super crispy).
Meat (March 1940) was first, followed by fat and eggs, cheese, tinned tomatoes, rice, peas, canned fruit and breakfast cereals. Remember this was a world where even in the pre-war days of plenty, olive oil was sold as a medical aid and dried pasta was confined to a few Italian shops. Rice was mainly for puddings.
Children's rations were slightly different to adults. Children were entitled to extra food that was considered essential for healthy growth, such as milk and orange juice. The National Milk Scheme provided one pint of milk for every child under 5. Fruit and vegetables were not rationed but were in short supply.
'Hard tack' was, however, the most well-known term for the ship's biscuit. The ingredients were stone ground flour, water and salt, which were mixed into a stiff dough, baked in a hot oven for 30 minutes and then left to harden and dry.