How Britain’s favourite biscuit could stop your partner farting
DOES your household love digestives? Not only does the popular biscuit taste incredible, but did you know it could help to stop you from farting too? A new book, The Biscuit: The History Of A Very British Indulgence by Lizzie Collingham, reveals the bonkers fact as it unpacks the nation’s favourite snack. According to the […]
DOES your household love digestives? Not only does the popular biscuit taste incredible, but did you know it could help to stop you from farting too?
A new book, The Biscuit: The History Of A Very British Indulgence by Lizzie Collingham, reveals the bonkers fact as it unpacks the nation’s favourite snack.
According to the book, released today, digestives were invented by McVitie’s to help reduce flatulence and disordered stomachs, or “windy colic”.
This is good news, particularly given British biscuit lovers have recently named the humble Chocolate Digestive their favourite, beating American imports from Oreo and Maryland Cookies.
The dunkable digestive came out top in a poll of 2,000 people who were asked to list their top ten favourite biccies.
A whopping 69 per cent said it was their favourite.
Shortbread came in just after in second place, Chocolate Fingers were in third place, while the controversial Jaffa Cake was ranked fourth favourite, followed by Chocolate Hob Nobs.
The Jaffa Cake is, as its name suggests, technically a cake and not a biscuit.
Brits scoff their way through 11 biscuits a week, on average, the study by Perspectus Global found.
And the sweet treats have apparently helped Brits get through coronavirus lockdown too.
According to the market research firm Kantar, we spent an extra £19 million on biscuits in the three months leading up to July 12.
Top 20 favourite biscuits
HERE are the UK's top 20 favourite biscuits, according to a study of 2,000 people by Perspectus Global:
- Chocolate Digestive 69%
- Shortbread 61%
- Chocolate Finger 58%
- Jaffa Cake 56%
- Chocolate Hob Nob 55%
- Custard Cream 53%
- Jammie Dodger 51%
- Maryland Cookie 49%
- Bourbon 47%
- Crunch Cream 46%
- Plain digestive 44%
- Viennese Whirl 43%
- Rich Tea 42%
- Ginger Nut 42%
- Hob Nob 41%
- Oreo 40%
- Malted Milk 39%
- Nice 33%
- Fig Roll 33%
- Garibaldi 21%
Figures don’t add up to 100% as people polled were instead asked to name their top ten favourite biscuits and the results are based on these.
The 320-page book explores how the nation’s obsession, coupled with the help of the Empire’s trade networks, saw us take biscuits to every corner of the globe.
It is thought the very first biscuits date back to the Neolithic era, but certainly as far back as the Romans, who twice baked bread known as “panis biscoctus”.
The earliest surviving example of the humble biscuit can be dated back to 1784, and was known as a “ship’s biscuit”.
This was because they were given as rations to British sailors during the Spanish Armada 200 or so years earlier.
Sadly they were often so hard and inedible that many people used them simply as postcards.
In the 19th century the sweetened biscuits became a staple treat for the British upper and middle classes.
Biscuits started being named after royalty or famous figures – such as Bourbon after a French royal household and Albert after Queen Victoria’s husband.
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The Galaxy cookie came top in Goodhousekeeping’s recent biscuit taste test.
While, last year a survey of Britain’s favourite savoury foods saw Yorkshire puddings, roasts, fish and chips and bacon sandwiches named the country’s top picks.
And bakers have shared their simple recipe for making biscuits at home.