As an Australian immigrant, Anzac Day doesn’t have the same meaning for me compared to others who have had or continue to have family members in the Armed Forces but it’s a day that I’m respectful of and reflect how fortunate I am in being able to live in such an amazing country.
I’ve attended quite a few dawn services in the past and it’s something I definitely recommend doing if you haven’t done so yet. Nowadays though, I like to spend the day with family, food and of course, baking Anzac Day biscuits! This year my wonderful husband helped me out and it was amazing having the smell of baked oatmeal goodness wafting throughout the house. Not bad for a first timer!
My husband asked me if I knew about the origins of the humble Anzac Day biscuit and I was surprised that I hadn’t really wondered about it before! Turns out they were a bread substitute for soldiers used with ingredients that were easily available and wouldn’t spoil, so no sugar or eggs. They were originally savoury, extremely hard and often ground up to eat like porridge. Today, there are so many different versions of this recipe and our biscuits were inspired by Maggie Beer’s recipe. They were absolutely delicious and well worth the effort if you have the time!