This sweet biscuit, that we have come to know as the ANZAC biscuit, most likely appeared around 1912 and became popular during the first World War as it was thought to have been a recipe that would survive the long journey to the troops overseas. The recipe has had various names and places of origin but the basic recipe contained butter, syrup, oats and flour (no eggs as those were in short supply or dried).
In post war years the recipe became popular in both Australia and New Zealand, with a Melbourne newspaper, The Argus, publishing a recipe for Anzac biscuits in September 1920. In New Zealand, the biscuits first appeared as a formal recipe in the St Andrew’s Recipe Book published in Dunedin in 1921, although they were called Anzac crispies.
Since 1994, the Australian government Minister for Veterans Affairs has controlled the use of the word ANZAC. In Australia and New Zealand, only the traditional recipe is allowed to be labelled Anzac Biscuits. This recipe can be made with or without coconut, but any modern recipe must contain the ingredients below to be considered an Anzac biscuit and associated with ANZAC Day commemoration.
The Australian War Memorial website has a page of information and stories about Anzac biscuits. The recipe published there is the Country Women’s Association recipe containing coconut.
CWA Anzac Biscuits
Ingredients
- 1 cup each of rolled oats, sugar and coconut
- 1 tablespoon of Golden Syrup.
- ¾ cup of plain flour
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon Bicarbonate Soda dissolved in 2 tablespoons boiling water.
Method
Melt butter and mix with syrup and bicarbonate/hot water
Pour into dry ingredients and mix well.
Roll mixture into small balls and place on a hot buttered oven tray (thank goodness for modern baking paper)
Bake in a moderate oven for about 12-15 minutes.
Baking paper and modern ovens have done a good deal for our present day cooking. People most likely cooked this recipe in a wood stove oven originally.
(History referenced from Sian Supski, Australian Research Institute, Curtin University, WA,)
