History and Resourcefulness with a Whole Lot of Sugar

 

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall no weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.

Lest we forget.

 

-The ANZAC ode.

 

 

A billion bullets raining down upon them from clifftops that surround, but that didn’t stop them. Their best mates dying in the sand didn’t stop them. Their bodies full of bullet holes and the lives they sacrificed to protect the country that they loved still didn’t stop them. We will remember them, lest we forget the ANZAC spirit.

 

April the 25th is ANZAC day, a day in which every Australian remembers the sacrifice that the soldiers of the Australia New Zealand Army Corps have made throughout history, beginning with the storming the beaches of Gallipoli. The ANZAC dawn service begins at the steps of the Returned Service League (RSL) clubs, walking the short distance to the memorial that each one has. The ANZAC ode is read, with a minute of silence following, the quietness of the service reflecting the day that the guns finally fell silent. The conclusion of the memorial finishes with a short walk back to the club with tea, a coffee of a schooner of beer coupled with an ANZAC biscuit. Made by the loved ones of those soldiers stuck on the shores of Gallipoli, these biscuits were sent in care packages because they did not spoil and were easily made. They were tough, like the soldiers stuck on those shores, full of history, resourcefulness and full of sugar.

 

Every Australian knows the taste of an ANZAC biscuit like it was the last thing that they had ever had. That first crunch immediately hits your tastebuds with the taste of oats, matched only by the aftertaste of the coconut that lingers on the tongue much longer than you thought possible. That first bite leaves you wanting more, and that second bite only intensifies that feeling. That feeling connects you to those brave soldiers stuck on those hellish shores. To cook the dish that invigorated those soldiers over 100 years since that battle makes me proud to be Australian.

 

I remember cooking these biscuits with my grandmother in my youth, her kitchen abuzz with the sound of laughter and the smell of constant baking. She always used to say that these biscuits saved her grandfather’s life during the war. Her mother and grandmother would spend hours preparing dozens of these biscuits to send to the warfront for her Grandfather and his fellow soldiers. When thinking of something to cook for this paper, there was no question that ANZAC biscuits exemplify Australian cuisine: History and resourcefulness mixed with sugar. The biscuits could be transported to the other side of the world because they did not contain milk or eggs, two ingredients of many deserts that spoil.

 

However, other ingredients were needed.

 

The Ingredients – Flour, Sugar, Coconut Chips, Baking Soda, Oats, Butter, Golden Syrup

The other ingredients were relatively easy to get, with Publix having oats, flour, baking soda, white sugar and butter I needed. The Golden syrup was not as common in the United States of America and was only found sitting behind some Canadian maple syrup. The flaked coconut was tricker to procure than I had originally thought. Not finding any wherever I looked, I eventually came to the conclusion that coconut chips that were grounded would have to suffice for the time being. Little did I know that the crunchier texture of the coconut chips would be exactly the texture that I would be looking for.

 

When making ANZAC biscuits, I used the recipe from Allrecipes.com. Using the instructions given, I made the biscuits, but with a few minor modifications that my grandmother recommended during those hours that we baked together. Preheating the oven should be the first thing that you do. The oven should be set to set to 175 degrees Celsius (or 350 degrees Fahrenheit) because having to wait for the oven will cause the mixture that is described in the following steps to lose its shape when putting it on the pans.

 

After setting the oven, place a small saucepan over medium heat where two table spoons of Golden syrup and a full stick of butter are melted together instead of the one that Allrecipes.com recommends.  The flavour is overwhelmed by the oats and the coconut and instead now creates a better balance of flavours compared to the one that Allrecipes.com recommends. When it looks like the butter has nearly melted into the golden syrup, boil some water in a kettle, with 2 tablespoons of boiling water being added to a teaspoon of baking soda. This should then be added to the now fully merged golden syrup from where the heat should be turned low and left to simmer while preparing the rest of the ingredients.

The Ingredients mixed together

The remaining ingredients of oats, coconut, flour and sugar, each being one cup each should be mixed together into a mixing bowl.  The mixture of butter, golden syrup, baking soda and the boiling water is added together and stirred until both concoctions have become one. Some baking paper or tinfoil should be used to line a baking tray. Allrecipes.com says that the mixture should be dropped by teaspoons onto the tray but I believe that an amount that is around half the palm of your hand should be used, made into a ball and flattened onto the paper to create the perfect biscuit, leaving you with approximately 2 and a half trays of biscuits. Allrecipes.com also says that the biscuits should be baked for 18-20 minutes, but I found that 17 minutes was adequate, or at least until the biscuits were golden brown. Taking out the biscuits, it is key to leave them to settle for at least half an hour before removing them from the tray, and eating because their insides continue to cook following their removal.

 

The scent of fresh cookies wafting through my apartment, I look down at the biscuits I have just made. I think back to those times in my grandmother’s kitchen, learning how to bake with her and the stories she told me. The stories of her mother and grandmother baking these ANZAC biscuits to send to my great-grandfather. The stories my great-grandfather told my mother about the war and the hell that he went through. The stories I have heard about what it meant to be an ANZAC and what those biscuits meant to Australia and all Australians: our shared history and our resourcefulness mixed with sugar.

 

 

List of Ingredients:

  • Quick Cooking Oats – 1 cup
  • Flaked Coconut – ¾ cups
  • Flour – 1 cup
  • Baking Soda – 1 Tea Spoon
  • White Sugar – 1 cup
  • Butter – ½ cup
  • Golden Syrup – 1 tablespoon
  • Boiling Water – 2 tablespoons

 

 

Allrecipes.com recipe

  1. Mix Oats, flour, sugar and coconut together
  2. In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the syrup and butter together. Mix the soda and boiling water and add to the melted butter and syrup.
  3. Add butter mixture to dry ingredients. Drop by teaspoons on greased cookie sheets (or baking paper).
  4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 18-20 minutes.

 

 

References

McAllister, Sharon. “Anzac Biscuits.” Allrecipies.com, https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/9816/anzac-biscuits-i/. Accessed 5 October 2018.