Three great Aussie addictions
Australia has developed some weird culinary tastes. Three that hard to beat all belong to the ‘sweet-tooth’ category. So much so they have their own culture
Can You ‘Tim Tam Slam,’ ‘ANZAC Crunch’ or ‘Lamington Stuff?’
Read on!
Tim Tams
Tim Tams are famous Australian biscuits. This year marks their 60th anniversary. They are a mainstay of Australian snacking culture.
Due to their rich flavour and decadent texture, they are best consumed with a cup of tea or coffee. They have gained popularity both domestically and globally.
These chocolate-coated biscuits have a rich, creamy filling between two malted cookies. Ian Norris created them as a rip-off of the ‘Penguin’ biscuit in the UK.
On a trip to England, he decided to “make a better one.” Norris named his biscuit after a horse that won the Kentucky Derby in 1958.
Little did he know, the monster he had created!
The Arnotts biscuit company brought them to market in 1964. The sales skyrocketed.
Arnotts produce 60 Tim Tams per second, 3,000 per minute, and 4 million each day in a bakery. The Tim Tam line is over a kilometer long and runs 24 hours daily to meet demand.
A 2022 survey showed that 50% of Australians said they would pack Tim Tams as gifts when going to family overseas. Tim Tams are found in over 90% of Australian homes.
Just like Vegemite (Australia’s savory icon), Tim Tam was founded through smart advertising and promotion. One of the most memorable was in 2012 when Tim Tam took over Martin Place in Sydney with a pop-up Tim Tam tree installation.
Another was a Willy Wonka-themed campaign in which Aussies were tasked with finding the Golden Tim Tam. The brand granted three wishes up to $100,000 to the lucky person who discovered the packet of gold Tim Tams.
Tim Tam Slam
Tim Tams’ special role in Australian culinary tradition is highlighted by the “Tim Tam Slam.”
This is a famous method of consuming them. It involves using the biscuit as a straw for hot beverages.
Here is how you do it:
1. Take the cookie and bite off the top and bottom corners on opposite sides.
2. Brew yourself a warm cup of tea or coffee (or even hot chocolate) if that’s more your style.
3. Dip the bottom half of the cookie into the mug and use it as a straw.
You’ll enjoy a delicious, chocolate-infused sip of your favourite drink. As the Tim Tam starts to fall apart, go ahead and drop it into the cup, enjoying the flavor it adds.
It makes everything better, kind of like losing an Oreo in a glass of milk.
The Tim Tam Slam works with any Tim Tam flavor. How many Tim Tam flavours are there?
Since 2000 Arnotts has released many different varieties of the product, some as limited edition runs. New flavours include double coat, dark chocolate, white chocolate, caramel, dark chocolate mint, honeycomb and choc orange.
The Deluxe range includes the most indulgent Tim Tam flavors, including Salted Caramel Brownie, Dark Choc Mint, and Decadent Triple Choc. The range now welcomes Cafe Latte.
This year, Arnotts released a Vegemite Tim Tam — two Aussie icons in one! (It has a weird, savory, sweet taste — an acquired taste!)
Although Tim Tams are an Aussie icon, they are now available in countries worldwide, including Canada, Hong Kong, New Zealand, South Africa, the US, and Japan.
The five most popular flavours are, Double coat, Original and Dark chocolate mint.
ANZAC biscuits
ANZAC biscuits are the most iconic traditional Australian food. They hold a special place in Australian cuisine. They were originally baked for soldiers in the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) established in World War I. Hence the name.
Wives and women’s groups sent these to soldiers abroad because the ingredients did not spoil easily and the biscuits kept well during naval transportation.
The ingredients for these rolled oat biscuits were rolled oats, sugar, flour, butter, and golden syrup. Golden syrup, not eggs, was used as a binding agent. This made them not only nutritious and full of energy but also long-lasting.
Since 1994, the name ‘Anzac Biscuits’ has been legally protected.
You may only use it to name biscuits made with the original recipe and containing oats, coconut, sugar, baking soda, syrup, butter, and flour.
In addition, you cannot name biscuits made with this recipe ‘cookies’ or anything similar.
This naming law was enforced in 2008 when a popular sandwich chain made a sweet treat that they named ‘Anzac Biscuits’. However, the recipe was not authentic, so they were told off, and production and sale of the fake biscuits ceased.
Who would have thought there would be a law for a biscuit name?
Penalties are up to 12 months in jail and/or fines up to $10,200 for an individual or $51,000 for a company. (You get less for drunk driving or assault!).
Whether chewy or crunchy, thick or thin, baked with or without coconut, they all share a deep golden colour and distinct caramelized flavour.
The flavour comes from the golden syrup, a viscous, sticky amber-colored syrup.
‘Dinky-di ANZAC bikkies’ are soft, but in recent years there has been a trend towards crunchy biscuits that ‘snap’ when eaten; hence the ‘ANZAC snap.’
The trick is to have more brown sugar than normal sugar.
While most Aussies would name the Tim Tam as the iconic biscuit, ANZAC biscuits are perhaps the most loved. Perfect for storing in decorative tins and dunking into a hot cup of tea.
Lamingtons
The final sweet tooth is the lamington. The first known mention of “Lamington cake” appears in an 1896 newspaper account of a “Lamington Function” at Laidley in Queensland.
According to Aussie legend, the dessert was accidentally created when a maidservant dropped a sponge cake into some melted chocolate.
Rather than waste the cake, the quick-thinking Lord Lamington suggested rolling it in coconut to make it less messy to eat.
Surrounded by an age-long debate about where exactly this event took place, “lammos” as they are known to Aussies are “most iconic Australian cake.”
Australians are so proud of them and their importance to Australian culture that a special day is dedicated to them.
National Lamington Day, celebrated on July 21st. It is a day that unites Australians over to savor the deliciousness of the sponge cake dipped in chocolate and coated in coconut.
The Lamington Stuff?
Rumor has it that on Lamington Day, competitions are held to see how many lamingtons one can stuff into one’s mouth.
In my opinion, the best lamingtons were made by the Women’s Guild at a little place in country Victoria, where I lived for several years.
They were known as bird’s nests.
Instead of chocolate, they were dipped in pink marshmallow and coconut. The center was scooped out and filled with jam and cream.
Sacrilege to the true ‘Lammo,” but hey, don’t knock it until you have tried it?
To all my fellow Aussies out there, what is your favorite Tim Tam flavour, and do you like your ANZACs chewy or crunchy?
Till next time, thanks for reading; I’m off to get a cup of tea and a Tim Tam!
Calvin.
