Anzac Biscuits

If you want to get a sense of just how deeply Antipodeans cherish their Anzac biscuits, you can start by consulting the regulations outlined by the Protection of the Word “Anzac” Act 1920. Issued by the Australian government’s Department of Veterans’ Affairs, the law states that any biscuits bearing that name must “generally conform to the traditional recipe and shape” and must never be referred to as “Anzac cookies.” Doing so, it says, would suggest “non-Australian overtones.”

Ironically, there isn’t much consensus on what defines a traditional Anzac biscuit. The basic idea has always been a simple oatmeal cookie–like confection with distinctly rich caramel flavor and color, cobbled together from pantry staples that were available during the first World War: rolled oats; flour; sugar; butter; baking soda; and a viscous, amber-toned liquid sweetener called golden syrup. (Eggs, which were scarce during the war, were usually omitted.) Treacly and much more palatable than the hardtack that sustained soldiers