Editing Digestive biscuit (section)

{{short description|Biscuit}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2024}}
{{Infobox prepared food
| name = Digestive biscuit
| image = Digestive biscuits.jpg
| caption = 
| alternate_name = Wheaten, sweet-meal biscuit
| country = [[Scotland]]
| region = [[Forres]]
| associated_cuisine = [[British cuisine|British]]
| creator = 
| course = 
| year = 1839
| type = [[Biscuit]]
| served = 
| main_ingredient = [[Wheat flour]], [[sugar]], [[malt extract]], [[butter]] (or in cheaper recipes or for vegans or those who are lactose intolerant: [[vegetable oil]]), [[wholemeal]], [[leavening agent]]s (usually [[sodium bicarbonate]], [[tartaric acid]] and [[malic acid]]), [[salt]]
| variations = 
| calories = 
| other = 
| cookbook = Digestive Biscuit
}}

A '''digestive biscuit''', sometimes described as a '''sweet-meal biscuit''', is a semi-[[sweetness|sweet]] [[biscuit]] that originated in Scotland. The digestive was first developed in 1839 by two doctors to aid digestion. The term ''digestive'' is derived from the belief that they had [[antacid]] properties around the time the biscuit was first introduced due to the use of [[sodium bicarbonate]] as an ingredient.<ref name="mcvitie.brand.history">{{cite web |url=http://www.mcvities.com/about-mcvities/brand-history |title=United Biscuits — McVitie's Brand History |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150215145653/http://www.mcvities.com/about-mcvities/brand-history |archive-date=15 February 2015 }}{{citation needed|reason=This appears as a "primary source".|date=April 2013}}</ref> Historically, some producers used [[Mash ingredients#Diastatic power|diastatic]] [[malt]] extract to "digest" some of the [[starch]] that existed in flour prior to baking.<ref>{{cite book |title=Chamber's encyclopaedia: a dictionary of universal knowledge, Volume 2 |publisher=J.B. Lippencott Company |year=1888 |page=182 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fDtMAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA182 |access-date=7 April 2011|quote=Digestive biscuits are prepared in such a manner that they may contain [[diastase]], the nitrogenous transforming matter of malt; but whatever quantity of this substance they may contain in the condition of dough is destroyed in the process of baking.}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=The Annual Museum of the British Medical Association |journal=Pharmaceutical Journal and Transactions |location=London |year=1887 |volume=XVII |series=Third|page=156|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6-ZLKHNCbHoC&pg=PA156 |access-date=8 April 2011|quote=A new competitor in this field was Paterson's Extract of Malt, exhibited by the Phoenix Chemical Works, Glasgow; the odour and flavour of this was excellent, and it is said to be rich in diastasic power. Prepared from it was exhibited a series of digestive biscuits, rusks and bread by John Montgomerie, of Glasgow. In making these part of the starch of the flour is changed by being mixed with the malt extract and water and kept for some time at a suitable temperature; the yeast being probably added to another portion of flour and water, to form dough to mix with the above before baking. These biscuits seemed to be appreciated by visitors. Messrs. Hill and Son also exhibited some malted nursery biscuits. Benger's well known digestive ferments were well displayed, together with an essence of rennet recently introduced.}}</ref>

First manufactured by [[McVitie's]] in 1892 to a secret recipe developed by Sir [[Sir Alexander Grant, 1st Baronet|Alexander Grant]], their digestive is the best-selling biscuit in the United Kingdom.<ref>{{cite news |title=Biscuits: Taste for nostalgia grows biccies |url=https://www.thegrocer.co.uk/top-products/biscuits-top-products-report-2020/651364.article |access-date=22 August 2021 |work=The Grocer}}</ref> In 2009, the digestive was ranked the fourth most popular biscuit for "[[Dunking (biscuit)|dunking]]" into tea among the British public, with the [[Digestive biscuit#Chocolate digestives|chocolate digestive]] (produced by McVitie's since 1925) coming in at number one.<ref name="Telegraph"/> The chocolate variant from McVitie's is routinely ranked the UK's favourite snack.<ref name="Wales Online">{{cite news |title=McVitie's chocolate digestives voted the most popular snack for people working from home |url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/uk-news/mcvities-chocolate-digestives-voted-most-17995653 |access-date=19 August 2021 |work=Wales Online}}</ref><ref name="Mirror">{{cite news |title=Britain's top 20 biscuits ranked as Chocolate Digestives named greatest of all |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/money/britains-top-20-biscuits-ranked-22630189 |access-date=19 August 2021 |work=Daily Mirror}}</ref><ref name="YouGov">{{cite news |title=Britain's top five biscuits revealed |url=https://yougov.co.uk/topics/food/articles-reports/2018/12/17/britains-top-five-biscuits-revealed |access-date=19 August 2021 |agency=YouGov|quote=YouGov Ratings data shows McVities, Cadbury’s and [[Walkers Shortbread|Walkers]] products dominate the list of Britain’s favourite biscuits}}</ref>