A little taste of NZ.

Imagine a token of rememberance to those that died for their country during the Great War, something that is in practically all the supermarkets throughout the year and is included in most families groceries each week. The Anzac biscuit is it. Maybe I'm just a naive Pom and the significance is not as widely recognised as I perceive it, nevertheless there are brands of Anzac biscuit that donate a portion of their profits with every packet throughout the year, and around ANZAC Day these biscuits are also often used by veterans’ organisations to raise funds for the care and welfare of aged war veterans.

During World War 1, the wives, mothers and girlfriends of the Australian and New Zealand soldiers were concerned for the nutritional value of the food being supplied to their men. Here was a problem. Any food they sent to the fighting men had to be carried in the ships of the Merchant Navy. Most of these were lucky to maintain a speed of ten knots (18.5 kilometers per hour). Most had no refrigerated facilities, so any food sent had to be able to remain edible after periods in excess of two months. A body of women came up with the answer - a biscuit with all the nutritional value possible. The basis was a Scottish recipe using rolled oats. These oats were used extensively in Scotland, especially for a heavy porridge that helped counteract the extremely cold climate.

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. A point of interest is the lack of eggs to bind the ANZAC biscuit mixture together. Because of the war, many of the poultry farmers had joined the services, thus eggs were scarce. The binding agent for the biscuits is golden syrup or treacle, but I like to use NZ honey 'cos its lovely.

April 25th is a national holiday of remembrance, ANZAC day, when we remember the ‘fallen’ ANZAC’s: Australian and New Zealand Army Corps.

And here is how to make them, it is dead simple.

Ingredients
1 cup plain flour
1 cup rolled oats (regular oatmeal) uncooked
1 cup desiccated coconut
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 tbsp golden syrup (or honey)
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tbsp boiling water

Method
Combine the flour (sifted), oats, coconut and sugar in a bowl. Melt the butter and Golden Syrup (or honey) in a saucepan over a low heat. Mix the bicarbonate of soda with the water and add to the butter and Golden Syrup. Pour the liquids into the dry ingredients and mix well. Spoon dollops of mixture, about the size of a walnut shell, onto a greased tin leaving as much space again between dollops to allow for spreading. Bake in a moderate oven, 180C, for 15-20 minutes.

Cool on a wire rack and seal in airtight containers. They're particularly nice dunked in a cup of coffee.