Editing Digestive biscuit

{{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>

== History ==
[[File:Biscuit tins VA 2490.JPG|thumb|Early 20th century [[McVitie & Price]]'s Digestive tin box, located in the [[Victoria and Albert Museum]], London]]
In 1839, digestives were developed in the United Kingdom by two Scottish doctors to aid digestion.<ref name="Telegraph" /><ref>{{cite news |title=History Cook: the rise of the chocolate biscuit |url=https://www.ft.com/content/5f890020-bba6-11e8-8274-55b72926558f |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/https://www.ft.com/content/5f890020-bba6-11e8-8274-55b72926558f |archive-date=10 December 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |access-date=23 August 2021 |work=Financial Times}}</ref> In an 1851 issue of ''[[The Lancet]]'', London's advertising section offered ''brown meal'' digestive biscuits.<ref>{{cite book |editor=Thomas Wakely |title=The Lancet |trans-title=A Journal of British and Foreign medicine, Physiology, Surgery, Chemistry, Criticism, Literature, and News |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pBhAAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA24-IA2 | access-date=1 April 2011 |volume=2 |date=31 July 1851 |publisher=George Churchill |location=London |pages=24(IA2)-24(IA3)}}</ref> At the time, it was asserted that grain millers knew only of [[bran]] and [[endosperm]].<ref>{{cite book |editor=John Saunders |title=The People's journal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=s1QAAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA42-IA1 |volume=IV |year=1848 |publisher=The People's Journal Office |location=London |page=42(IA1) |access-date=15 April 2011 |quote=Professor Johnston remarks that -- "The grain of wheat consists of two parts, with which the miller is familiar -- the inner grain and the skin that covers it. The inner grain gives the pure wheat flour; the skin when separated, forms the bran."}}</ref> After 10% of the whole grain's coarser outer-bran coat was removed, and because the innermost 70% of pure endosperm was reserved for other uses, brown meal, representing only 20% of the whole grain, remained, consisting of about 15% fine bran and 85% white flour.<ref>{{cite book |editor-last=Bell |editor-first=Jacob |title=The Pharmaceutical journal and Transactions |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kO0KAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA277 |volume=XVII |date=1857–1858 |publisher=John Churchill |pages=276–277 |quote=The Parisian white bread is prepared with the finest flour (1re marque), which does not contain any bran. If 100 parts wheat yield 70 parts of this flour, the remainder will consist of 10 parts bran and 20 parts coarse brown meal, this latter consisting of 3 parts fine bran and 17 parts white flour.}}</ref> By 1912, it was more widely known that brown meal included the [[Cereal germ|germ]], which lent a characteristic sweetness.<ref>{{cite book |author=Percy A. Amos |title=Processes of flour manufacture |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KXLzrbmw8u0C&pg=PA14 |year=1912 |publisher=Longman, Green, and Co. |page=14 |quote=By allowing the germ and all but the outer, coarser layers of broad bran to mix in with the flour, we get the sweet-tasting brown meal producing the brown bread so much in favour amongst sections of the community.}}</ref>

Digestives featured in [[advertising|advertisements]] for the Berkshire-based biscuit company  [[Huntley & Palmers]] in 1876, with digestives sold by [[Pharmacist|chemists]] alongside indigestion powder.<ref name="Grant">{{cite news |title=National Biscuit Day: a chequered history of McVitie's Digestives |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/food-and-drink/features/national-biscuit-day-chequered-history-mcvities-digestives/ |access-date=20 August 2022 |work=The Telegraph|quote=Huntley and Palmers, a rival bakery, launched its own digestive biscuit in 1876}}</ref> Rival biscuit company, Edinburgh-based [[McVitie's]], has Golden-baked their best-selling digestives to a secret recipe developed by Sir [[Sir Alexander Grant, 1st Baronet|Alexander Grant]] since 1892.<ref name="Grant"/> A recipe was given in Cassell's ''New Universal Cookery Book'' of 1894. In 1889, John Montgomerie of Scotland filed a U.S. patent application, which was granted in 1890. This patent asserted a prior patent existed in England dated 1886. The U.S. patent, titled ''Making Malted Bread'', included instructions for the manufacture of digestive biscuits. Montgomerie claimed this [[Saccharification#Hydrolysis of polysaccharides|saccharification]] process would make "nourishing food for people of weak digestion".<ref>{{US patent|423263}}</ref> Despite rumours that it is illegal for them to be sold under their usual name in the US,<ref>[[QI]], Season B, Episode 7, "Biscuits", ''In America it is illegal to call them "digestives"''</ref> they are, in fact, widely available in the imported food sections of [[grocery store]]s and by [[mail order]].<ref>Cost Plus World Market: [http://www.worldmarket.com/search.do?query=Digestive Product listing for retail and mail order availability in the United States]</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Smith |first=Andrew |title=The Oxford encyclopedia of food and drink in America |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New York, NY |year=2013 |page=168 |isbn=978-0-19-973496-2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DOJMAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA168 |access-date=28 December 2013 |quote=Digestive biscuits, semi-sweet and made with brown meal, can no longer be made under that name in the United States, but the English version is widely available.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Luther|first=Carol|title=What are Digestive Biscuits?|url=http://www.livestrong.com/article/461359-what-are-digestive-biscuits/#ixzz1bFl0icQ3|publisher=Livestrong.com|access-date=10 December 2011}}</ref>

== Ingredients ==
The typical digestive biscuit contains coarse brown [[wheat]] [[flour]] (which gives it its distinctive texture and flavour), [[sugar]], malt extract, [[vegetable oil]], [[wholemeal]], [[raising agent]]s (usually [[sodium bicarbonate]], [[tartaric acid]] and [[malic acid]]), and [[salt]].<ref>{{cite book |author1=Young, Linda |author2=Cauvain, Stanley P. |title=Baked Products: Science, Technology and Practice |publisher=Wiley-Blackwell |year=2006 |page=62 |isbn=1-4051-2702-3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6klZ-ZbTTXQC&pg=PA62 |access-date=8 April 2011}}</ref> Some varieties also contain dried [[whey]], [[oatmeal]], cultured skimmed [[milk]], and emulsifiers such as [[DATEM]].

A digestive biscuit averages around 70 [[calorie]]s, although this varies according to the factors involved in its production.

== Consumption ==
[[File:Loaded Tea Tray (7610014554).jpg|thumb|right|Plain digestive biscuits with tea, jam and cakes on a serving tray.]]
Digestive biscuits are frequently eaten with [[tea]] or [[coffee]]. Sometimes, the biscuit is [[dunking (biscuit)|dunked]] into the tea and eaten quickly due to the biscuit's tendency to disintegrate when wet. Digestive biscuits are one of the top 10 biscuits in the UK for dunking in tea.<ref name="Telegraph"/> The digestive biscuit is also used as a [[Cracker (food)|cracker]] with [[cheese]]s, and is often included in "cracker selection" packets.

In the UK, McVitie's digestive is the best selling biscuit, with 80 million packs sold annually,<ref name="mcvitie.brand.history" /> though there are many other popular brands (such as [[Cadbury]]’s) as well as supermarkets' own versions.<ref name="YouGov"/> Digestives are also popular in [[food preparation]] for making into bases for [[cheesecake]]s and similar [[dessert]]s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.waitrose.com/food_drink/recipes/recipesearch/recipe/0209052-r08.asp|title=Waitrose: Banoffee Pie|website=waitrose.com|access-date=21 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070303131250/http://www.waitrose.com/food_drink/recipes/recipesearch/Recipe/0209052-r08.asp|archive-date=3 March 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Chocolate digestives ==
[[File:McVitie's chocolate digestive biscuit.jpg|thumb|upright|The coated side of a [[McVitie's]] [[milk chocolate]] digestive biscuit]]
Digestive biscuits with a chocolate coating on one side are also available. The coating can consist of [[dark chocolate|dark]], [[white chocolate|white]], or [[milk chocolate|milk]] chocolate, although white chocolate digestives are quite rare. The chocolate digestive was originally produced by McVitie's in 1925 as the Chocolate Homewheat Digestive. Other varieties include the basic biscuit with chocolate shavings throughout (chocolate "chips" in the biscuit mix) or a layer of [[caramel candy|caramel]], [[Mentha|mint]] chocolate, orange-flavoured chocolate,<ref>EnglishTeaStore.com: [https://web.archive.org/web/20080105151850/http://www.englishteastore.com/mcormichdi30.html McVities Milk Chocolate & Orange Digestives 300g] Accessed 5 January 2008</ref> or plain chocolate. They are manufactured at McVitie's [[Harlesden]] factory in London.<ref>{{cite news |title=See how chocolate digestives are made at a London biscuit factory |url=https://www.timeout.com/london/news/see-how-chocolate-digestives-are-made-at-a-london-biscuit-factory-061118 |access-date=16 August 2022 |work=[[Time Out (magazine)|Time Out]]}}</ref> American travel writer [[Bill Bryson]] described the chocolate digestive as "a British masterpiece".<ref>Bryson, Bill. (1996). ''[[Notes from a Small Island]]''; William Morrow, {{ISBN|0-688-14725-9}}</ref>

In 2009, the McVitie's chocolate digestive was named as the most popular biscuit in the UK to dunk into tea.<ref name="Telegraph">[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/foodanddrinknews/4927255/Chocolate-digestive-is-nations-favourite-dunking-biscuit.html "Chocolate digestive is nation's favourite dunking biscuit"]. ''The Telegraph''. 2 May 2009</ref> The chocolate variant from McVitie's is routinely ranked the UK's favourite snack.<ref name="Wales Online"/><ref name="Mirror"/><ref name="YouGov"/> A [[YouGov]] poll saw [[Cadbury]]’s digestive ranked the second most popular biscuit in the UK after McVitie's.<ref name="YouGov"/>

== In popular culture ==
McVitie's digestive biscuits have become known among fans of [[the Beatles]] because they were the cause of an argument between [[George Harrison]] and [[John Lennon]] during a recording session for the group's 1969 album ''[[Abbey Road]]''. The incident was recounted by recording engineer [[Geoff Emerick]] in his book ''Here, There, and Everywhere: My Life Recording the Music of The Beatles''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Emerick|first1=Geoff |last2=Massey|first2=Howard |title=Here, There, and Everywhere: My Life Recording the Music of The Beatles |publisher=Penguin|location=New York, NY |year=2006 |isbn=1-59240-179-1 }} Gotham Books, {{ISBN|1-59240-179-1}}</ref> According to Emerick, Lennon's wife [[Yoko Ono]] was in the recording studio and at one point helped herself to Harrison's box of McVitie's while the Beatles were in the control room listening to a playback of the song they had just recorded. Harrison became angry at Ono, and his subsequent outburst caused Lennon to lose his temper in response.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WOk8TP8o018C&q=mcvities+digestive+george+john+beatles&pg=PT309|title=Here, There and Everywhere: My Life Recording the Music of the Beatles|first1=Geoff|last1=Emerick|first2=Howard|last2=Massey|date=16 March 2006|publisher=Penguin|isbn=9781101218242|access-date=21 March 2018|via=Google Books}}</ref>

Chocolate digestives were part of the technical challenge to the bakers in [[The Great British Bake Off (series 13)|series 13, episode 6 of ''The Great British Bake Off'']]. They were also the technical challenge to the bakers in [[The Great Canadian Baking Show (season 2)#Episode 2: Biscuits and Bars|episode 2, season 2 of ''The Great Canadian Baking Show'']].<ref>{{cite news |title=Season 2, Episode 2: Biscuits and Bars Week |url=https://www.cbc.ca/life/greatcanadianbakingshow/episodes/season-2-episode-2-biscuits-and-bars-week-1.4822422 |access-date=19 August 2021 |agency=CBC}}</ref>

== See also ==
* {{Portal-inline|Food}}
* [[Graham cracker]]
* [[Marie biscuit]]
* [[Rich tea]]

== Footnotes ==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

== Sources ==
* {{Cite book| last1 = Emerick| first1 = Geoff| last2 = Massey| first2 = Howard| title = Here, There and Everywhere My Life Recording the Music of The Beatles| year = 2006| publisher = Penguin Books| location = New York| isbn = 978-1-59240-179-6}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Digestive biscuits}}
* [https://www.foodsofengland.info/digestivebiscuits.html Digestive Biscuits at www.foodsofengland.info]

[[Category:1839 introductions]]
[[Category:Biscuits]]
[[Category:British inventions]]
[[Category:British snack foods]]
[[Category:Crackers (food)]]
[[Category:Scottish cuisine]]
[[Category:Scottish inventions]]