Happy National Biscuit Day! The UK loves a biscuit, but which of the dozens of variations does it consider the best? From Jammie Dodgers and Custard Creams to Hobnobs and Jaffa Cakes, everyone has their favourite, whether they’re being dunked in a cup of tea or enjoyed on their own.
Biscuits tend to be flour-based, shaped and baked, typically ending up hard, flat, and unleavened. Their history started out of the necessity to carry easy-to-store, easy-to-carry, and long-lasting foods on long journeys. Roman armies carried rusks called bucellum, and Egyptian sailors carried millet bread called dhourra. These biscuits became cheap food for the poor, as they were cooked in a baker’s cooling oven.
By the ninth century, gingerbread was being made in Persia and became widespread in Europe in the 18th century, as the supply of sugar and flour increased due to slavery in the West Indies and America.
The Industrial Revolution in Britain sparked the formation of businesses in various industries, and the British biscuit firms of McVitie’s, Carr’s, Huntley & Palmers, and Crawfords were all established by 1850.
The decorative biscuit tin, invented by Huntley & Palmers in 1831, saw British biscuits exported around the world. In 1900, Huntley & Palmers biscuits were sold in 172 countries, and their global reach was reflected in their advertising.
Competition and innovation among British firms saw 49 patent applications for biscuit-making equipment, tins, dough-cutting machines and ornamental moulds between 1897 and 1900. In 1891, Cadbury filed a patent for a chocolate-coated biscuit.
Today, we are surrounded by biscuits. During World War 2, their role as a tiny element of comfort was paramount, and today baking biscuits at home continues to bring joy and relaxation in difficult times.
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