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From:
The Daily Mail
17 August 2024
Why this pack of Anzac biscuits stocked at an IGA supermarket could be illegal - but not everyone agrees with all the fuss
Story:
A single word on a packet of Anzac biscuits being sold at local supermarkets could make them illegal. An eagle-eyed Reddit user noticed the label on the packet of eight Anzac biscuits being sold at a local IGA supermarket called the iconic treat 'cookies'. Under government guidelines Anzac 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'. Flouting those guidelines can lead to steep fines and even up to 12 months jail under the Protection of Word 'Anzac' Act 1920.
Those commenting on Reddit were almost equally unforgiving.
'Anzac f****** WHAT NOW?????, one user said.
'Straight to jail,' was another commonly echoed sentiment.
Some also pointed out that although the recipe fell within the guidelines, the fact that the label could only guarantee it was made from 'at least 10 per cent Australian ingredients' also took away points for patriotism.
Reader comments in respect of the above article:
'What should be illegal is Anzac biscuits only containing 10 per cent of Australian ingredients.”
“What bothers me is the 10% Australian product. We grow everything here so why only 10 percent. “I personally would boycott this. I would want at least 90 percent Aussie product.”
“Cookies is an American word so why use it to describe Anzac biscuits? Maybe some young thing heard the word while watching a US TV show and thought ‘that sounds cute, let’s use it’. Ask for a biscuit in the US and you’ll get a big surprise.” (They are what we call scones. Otto)
“Anzac biscuits made with 90 % foreign products = I ain't buying that.”
However, some thought it was a trivial offence.
'Stupid thing to even notice (let alone) get upset over.”.
'Because that's the most important thing we as a nation have to worry about.”
Woolworths and Anzac Biscuits:
Woolworths were the subject of a furious customer backlash in 2021 after it changed the name of the Anzac biscuits it was selling to 'golden oat biscuits' but were then hit with a furious customer backlash. Customers claimed online the supermarket giant abandoned the traditional name because some shoppers might have found it offensive. However, Woolworths said the name change was at the request of the Veterans Affairs Department and had nothing to do with 'cancel culture'. 'We didn't have the relevant approvals to use the term for this particular recipe placement in the catalogue and wanted to ensure we respected the regulations,' Woolworths said.
'But we proudly stocked RSL Anzac biscuits, which help raise funds for veterans and their families, and have been through the required approval process.' In the case of Woolworths 'golden oats biscuits', the recipe varied sufficiently from the traditional version so the company was denied permission to use the name on that product.
Origin:
Anzac biscuits have become synonymous with honouring Australia's wartime legacy because they were often included in food parcels sent to Aussie troops fighting in Gallipoli and France during World War One. These parcels supplemented the soldiers' plain diet of tinned 'bully' beef and hardtack, also known as the 'Anzac wafer' or 'Anzac tile'. Anzac biscuits made from rolled oats, golden syrup and flour had high nutritional value and kept well while being transported overseas.
Recipe:
Approved Anzac biscuit recipe
Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 tablespoons golden syrup
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda dissolved in 2 tablespoons boiling water
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup desiccated coconut
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup plain flour
Method
Heat oven to 160°C.
Melt butter (or margarine) and syrup.
Add dissolved bicarbonate of soda and water.
Mix dry ingredients in a bowl, add the liquid mixture and stir.
Place small balls of the mixture (about 1 teaspoon) onto a greased tray.
Bake for 20 minutes or until lightly brown.
Lift biscuits onto a cake cooling rack and wait for them to cool.
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Alternative recipe:
From the Australian Women's Weekly at:
This recipe, with a cooking time of 12 minutes, should produce a chewy Anzac biscuit. For a crunchier Anzac biscuit, just cook for 15 minutes instead.
Ingredients
125 grams (4oz) butter, chopped
2 tablespoons golden syrup or treacle (see tips)
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
2 tablespoons boiling water
1 cup (90g) rolled oats (see tips)
1 cup (150g) plain (all-purpose) flour
1 cup (220g) firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup (60g) desiccated coconut
Method
Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Grease two large oven trays; line with baking paper.
Stir butter and syrup in a medium saucepan over low heat until smooth. Stir in combined soda and the water, then remaining ingredients.
Roll level tablespoons of mixture into balls; place 5cm (2in) apart on lined trays, then flatten slightly.
Bake for 12 minutes or until golden. Cool biscuits on trays.
Kitchen tip:
Spray your measuring spoon with a little cooking oil spray before scooping up the golden syrup; this will help prevent the syrup sticking to the spoon. Make sure you use rolled oats rather than quick-cooking oats as they will produce a different result. Store biscuits in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
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Some more about Anzac biscuits:
Bickies or biscuits in Australia are essentially what an American would call a 'cookie. ' We give the name 'biscuit' to both sweet and savoury varieties, and bites of many different shapes and textures (from Anzac biscuits to Tim Tams, to crackers).
The Protection of Word 'Anzac' Regulations 1921 (Cth) broadly state that to use the word 'Anzac' (or any word resembling the word 'Anzac') in an official or corporate manner, permission from the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs is required. The Department of Veterans’ Affairs is responsible for the administration of the Regulations on the Minister’s behalf, including managing applications to use the word ‘Anzac’.
Similarly to the use of the term Anzac, the Anzac biscuit is protected by regulations that restrict commercial production of the product. Primarily, such regulations pertain to the name and recipe. They must be referred to and sold as Anzac biscuits and never as cookies. 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.
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".
Anzac biscuits should not be confused with hardtack, which was nicknamed "ANZAC wafers" in Australia and New Zealand. Hardtack (or hard tack) is a type of dense biscuit (British English) or cracker (American English) 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 voyages, land migrations, and military campaigns. Along with salt pork and corned beef, hardtack was a standard ration for many militaries and navies from the 17th to the early 20th centuries.
Anzac biscuits
Preserved hardtack from U.S. Civil War, Wentworth Museum, Pensacola, Florida.
The origin of Anzac biscuits is contested between Australia and New Zealand. The first known recipe for the biscuit significantly predates the formation of the ANZAC Corps, and many early recipes differ from the modern version. For example, historical recipes have variously included nontraditional ingredients such as eggs, fruit, and jam.
As a result of the restrictions on the recipe, the Subway chain of restaurants dropped the biscuit from their menu in September 2008. After being ordered by the Department of Veterans' Affairs 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.
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Some more about the name:
From an American blog called Sister Spoon, which posts recipes, including one for Anzac Cookies:
Today is Anzac Day! Before I explain Anzac Day to non-south-of-the-equator people, let me first apologize to my aussie/kiwi readers for calling these cookies and not biscuits. I'm American. I tried, I really did, but I just couldn't make myself type "biscuit". I understand under Australian law I am not allowed to refer to Anzac biscuits as cookies, but I am not in Australia, and this is my blog, so I'm calling them cookies. No disrespect intended. I do apologize.Now, for the rest of you. "Anzac" stands for the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance in both Australia and New Zealand for all those who have served and died in military service. It originates from the landing of Allied forces at Gallipoli on April 25th, 1915 during World War I. There were more than 10,000 casualties of Australian and New Zealander soldiers, and April 25th became the day their sacrifice was commemorated. There. Now you know.The story of the cookie (biscuit) seems to be that these were popular treats for wives to send to their soldier husbands, because the ingredients kept a long time without spoiling and the cookies (biscuits) traveled well.Not being originally from Australia, I did not grow up eating these cookies. I have made them a few times, and having a preference for soft and chewy over crisp and crunchy, I developed my version that way. I combined elements of a few different recipes to come up with this one. The cookies turn out thick and soft, which may or may not be completely authentic, but it's how I like them.
His recipe and method is at:
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Another news article from a day ago:
Turkish firefighters have brought under control a wildfire on the Gallipoli Peninsula that raised fears the blaze could reach Australian war graves at Anzac Cove.
Crews have been battling four summer wildfires that broke out this week in western parts of the country, including in Canakkale province, which is the site of memorials where thousands of Australian and New Zealand soldiers lost their lives in World War I. The flames reportedly reached Canterbury Cemetery, where soldiers from New Zealand are interred. Images of the site in northwest Turkey showed soot-blackened gravestones in a scorched garden looking out over the Aegean Sea.
At a news conference with his New Zealand counterpart Chris Luxon, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Gallipoli was “sacred ground to both of our countries.” “Our thoughts today are also with our friends in Turkey,” he said in Canberra on Friday.
War graves
Scorched headstones
Anzac Cove
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