I recently got interested in the British obsession with tea. Are we coffee drinkers missing something? I spent some time at Google reading up on it, and learned that the British custom is to have "biscuits" with their tea, or sweet pastry. I thought it might be interesting to give it a try and invested in a decent electric tea kettle and supplies. It turns out that these particular biscuits are very traditional and widely used in the U.K. In fact, I read that these very biscuits are Prince Charles's favorites.
So what are they like? Well, first of all they are not what we would call a biscuit. In reality, they are a kind of cookie. My sister calls them
"shortbread cookies", if that tells you something. They have a fairly bland taste and remind me of the old American favorite ... Animal Crackers.
I gather that the British dunk their biscuits in the tea. This is an art form. I too am an accomplished dunker when using Oreo cookies in milk.
Timing is everything here.
The package is surprisingly large, with three packs forming an overall size of about 9 by 11 inches. Picture a sheet of typing paper in area. The package is fairly hefty, too. Mine arrived unbroken. I plan to buy more since they make a nice change from excessively sugary cookies.
I should mention that there are a lot of different kinds of tea, but the traditional British black breakfast tea, both tastes and smells like the kind in the familiar Lipton brand tea bags.
Please do not buy these. You probably won't understand them or appreciate them. If you buy them the price might go up. So please do not read the rest of this.
McVitie's Digestive Biscuits are one of those vastly understated English things. (Ah shoot, probably Scotch or Irish, I have no idea, really, but somebody I suppose named McVitie had a great idea some many years ago and made these delightful things.)
Is it a cookie, a cracker, a biscuit? In my opinion, none of these and all of these.
When Mr. Graham was traveling around America preaching health through whole wheat flour, the result we got today is the over-processed Graham Cracker. If you try to make a Graham Cracker yourself you are likely to end up with something far more delightful than the thing I buy at stores. Of course, when you make it, it also costs a lot more because you are using real ingredients, not cardboard.
Well, a McVitie Digestive Biscuit is far more like a perfected something you would make. If you wanted something not sweet or salty or bursting with flavor, but definitely not cardboard.
So what good is it? I think eating a plain McVitie's Digestive Biscuit is an acquired taste. It didn't take more that a half a package to acquire it, however. So start by using it as a base.
Try spreading Bonne Maman Apricot Preserves on top. Or Blue Cheese, or Bacon, or a slice of Cheddar, or Pepper Jack, or all of these together. Then eat a plain biscuit with hot tea, to understand the subtle flavors and textures provided by the biscuit.
Now here is the amazing thing about a McVitie's Digestive Biscuit. It is the only product like this that I can eat only one of. Potato Chips, Corn Chips, Graham Crackers, Saltines, Hotel Crackers, Pretzels, Chocolate Chip Cookies, all are designed to be overeaten. It is no wonder when we feel less than healthy after we eat them. Not so with McVitie's Digestive Biscuits.
Just to be certain I am writing the truth, I just sacrificed and ate one more plain McVitie's Digestive Biscuit, "The Original Wheat Biscuit." Yes. But how could it be the "original"? How long ago did McVitie live?
What can you do with a McVitie's Digestive Biscuit?
Leave them alone so I can eat them for less!
Oh, these are just perfect. Imagine a breakfast cookie that tastes like shortbread, is crumbly like shortbread, but has the wonderful nutty flavor and crunch of whole wheat. I'm not saying it makes a breakfast, but I'm a very early riser, and like something with my first or second cup of coffee. Not only that, but as a long-time reader of old English novels, I've always wondered what a digestive biscuit might be! No wonder they love them so! A simple and pleasing treat when one wants something just a little sweet and yet wishes to believe one is not consuming complete junk. People in Merchant/Ivory films and Virginia Woolf novels eat these, and now, so do I! Soon I expect an actual Time Lord to stop in for a 3:30 a.m. cup of coffee. I know I'm being silly. What else are cookies -- excuse me, biscuits -- for?
I love these cookies (biscuits). I had heard them mentioned and used several times on The Great British Bake Off, crumbed & used as a pie crust like we do graham crackers. These biscuits had been prescribed by British doctors over 125 years ago to help people who ate too much rich food. They're not too sweet and lovely to dip into coffee or tea. Just make sure that you buy them from a vendor who wraps them individually in bubble wrap as Spellbound UK did for my first order. I mistakenly ordered from another vendor who, although saying from the UK, actually shipped from Belgium with only a thin cardboard around the 3. I got bits & crumbs & my money back. Of course, if you like sweet they're great topped with nut butter, jams & I've even topped them with canned frosting! Use Spellbound UK!!
Another reviewer commented that these taste somewhat like graham crackers. That's pretty true, SOMEWHAT like graham crackers. Like graham crackers, these are great snacks if you want something sweet but are trying to keep the sugar and calories down to a low level. They are also oddly satisfying, so if I eat one I don't feel the need to overeat them. I'm really liking them quite a bit. They come in 3 packages but will keep for quite a while. Of course, you can always throw the second and third packages in your freezer as well.
Feature Product
- One of the most popular biscuits worldwide
- 400 Gram Size. 3 Packs Included. Imported from England
- Delicious Digestive Cookie. Great with a cup of tea or even coffee!
- A firm favorite with young and old. A good source of Fiber
- No Artificial Flavors or Colors
Description
The Original Digestive Wheatmeal Biscuit.
Love these. Grew up eating them. I'm not very excited about the huge price hike. May be cheaper now to buy them locally which is a bummer. Also, I don't like that the packs are wrapped in extra plastic--not good for the environment, so I suggest Amazon stops doing that. The biscuits themselves are delicious. Put them in a container or ziplock bag after opening to keep them fresh, if you're not familiar with these types of biscuits. Left out, they'll get stale and soft very fast.
This review is for the McVitie's Digestive Biscuits -400g 3 Pack, Original
These are great little cookies that are light and tasty.
The flavor does not over power whatever it is that you are drinking.
Not heavy at all, lightly sweetened.
Not gluten free if that is needed.
Wheat Flour, Vegetable Oil, Wholemeal, Sugar, Cultured Kimmed Milk, Partially Inverted Sugar Syrup, Raising Agents (Sodium Bicarbonate, Tartaric Acid, Malic Acid), Salt. Contains: Milk, Gluten.
Upon advice from a friend, I used to buy these when traveling to aid in regularity. By golly, they worked. Now that I my digestive tract isn't as young as it used to be and it's a good idea to have a bit of food with the first cup of morning coffee...by golly, these still work. These aren't available in my little far northern US town so I appreciate that Amazon carries them at a really good price and delivers them quickly. And usually, no more than one in each package may have a crumble or two around the edge from the transport (about the same as when I used to buy in a Paris market).
Back in the day when I lived in Singapore, these "biscuits" were popular with me and with other expatriates...not too sweet yet tasty with a great texture...after returning to the states some thirty years ago, I looked for them to no avail...so I was thrilled to find them on Amazon...just as delicious as they were back then! Thanks for bringing a lovely treat into my life...I will soon try the chocolate variety!
As we get older, I think we want overwhelming sweetness less. I still like cookies, but the cloying sweetness of most American cookies is off-putting and kind of nauseating. These are so good! They're just sweet enough to be tasty but they have a wonderful oaty flavor.
Up until I found these, I had been snacking on animal crackers, which are also (usually) not as sweet as regular cookies. But the circus animals are now safe. I'll be eating these with my morning coffee from now on.
0 comments:
Post a Comment