The fact remains; the UK has the best and greatest variety of biscuits in the entire world. Possibly the entire universe too.
As UK citizens, we often find the need to head off and visit other countries, tour gardens, and occasionally even experience other cultures. For the biscuit-dependent, a visit to Europe is perhaps the most tolerable. There are usually some chocolate-covered wafers or thin almond biscuits that means that one can survive for several days, after the emergency case of Jaffa Cakes has run out.
One of the famous biscuit landmarks of the world was appropriately named several centuries ago. Charles I was one of the great biscuit lovers in history, and after hearing of various biscuit flavourings in the Far East, was keen to encourage trade along the spice route. Ship after ship was sent around the coasts of France, Spain and Portugal, laden with assorted biscuits. Although many of these were flavourless, trade was apparently brisk among the starving spice merchants. The precious cargoes of biscuit flavourings, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger to name a few, were returned home to waiting bakers in England.
One of these outbound ships was involved in a tragic accident one dark, stormy night. The ship lost its way off the West coast of France, and was wrecked after sailing into some jagged rocks. Devastatingly the biscuit cargo was lost. Most of the mariners lost their lives too. But the lost biscuits will always be remembered, as the famous biscuit landmark was dubbed, the “Bay of Biscay” (the old English word for biscuit).
To be continued…….
Robert Stacewicz
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: Bay of Biscay, Flavourless, Jaffa Cakes, Spice trade | 5 Comments »