Anzac Biscuits

During World War 1, the wives, mothers and girlfriends of the Australian soldiers were concerned for the nutritional value of the food being supplied to their men. Any food they sent to the fighting men had to be carried in the ships of the Merchant Navy, most of which were lucky to maintain a speed of ten knots (18.5 kilometres per hour), with 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 called Soldiers' Biscuits. 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. The 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 was golden syrup or treacle.