Here, Digest This!

This is another one of my “look what I found!” posts. A few weeks ago, or maybe it was over a month ago, I don’t really remember, while I was in Marks & Spencers doing my regular stock-up of their cookies, I chanced upon this new offering. Or at least new in Singapore.

Organic digestive biscuits.

I used to always wonder about the name. Digestive biscuits. Are they supposed to help with digestion? It would seem obvious would it not? Digestive biscuits for digestion. It is afterall a rather literal and functional name for a biscuit. Hardly a name that has been given because it sounds pretty or makes the item-so-named appear more attractive and appetizing. But I could never quite understand how a baked cookie could possibly help the digestive process.

Then, some years ago, I was told this story (the authenticity of which I have not verified). The digestive biscuit was invented in the UK in the early 1800s (by whom I do not now recall), as a means of getting fiber into the diets of the masses. Apparently, at the time, fresh fruits and vegetables were not abundantly available, and what was available was too expensive and thus out of the reach of the working or common class. And I suppose the lack of fruits and vegetables in the diet led to a distinct um… shall we just say “lack of activity” in the bowel department. It supposedly became a serious enough issue to warrant national attention and government intervention. A cheap and efficient way was needed to get more fiber into the guts, and to get things moving along . It also had to be more stable and amenable to storing than fresh fruits and vegetables. And there you have it. The birth of the humble digestive biscuit. This dry, somewhat crumbly, grain-heavy baked disk was loaded with “yummy” stuff like wholemeal flour, wheat and oats. It didn’t sound terribly appetizing, but it did its job, and for some reason it even became popular, and the rest as they say is um… a flush down the water closet.

Two centuries on, the digestive biscuit is still around and thriving. I think it is a very English thing. This “digestive biscuit and tea” idea. I remember in school, it was always digestives with milk. Much like the Americans have their “oreo with milk” culture I guess. I supposed the milk and the dunking of the digestive into it made the biscuit go down easier. It was also the biscuit of choice in many (perhaps almost all) of the older English recipes for cheesecake crusts, pie crusts or even crumble toppings.

However, as society grew more affluent, people simply decided that there were tastier things to eat than digestive biscuits. So, the biscuit brigade struck back by putting chocolate on the digestives. To sweeten the deal, literally and figuratively. And thus garnered for themselves a whole new generation of digestives-lovers.

I’m highly addicted to M&S;’ (that’s Marks & Spencers, if you are wondering) RF chocolate digestives (I don’t like other brands for some reason).

I consume copious amounts of the stuff on a near-daily basis. It’s almost scary how much of this stuff I scoff, even though I know all about the high sugar levels and trans fatty acids blah blah blah. I just love the stuff.

But I digress… back to my little organic find.

Of course, when I saw these organic digestives, I had to pick up a pack. I immediately felt healthier and (ahem) more virtuous.

I like these. They are thinner and denser than regular digestives. Crunchier too, in my opinion. And definitely very healthy tasting, if you know what I mean. They are most likely not to the taste of everyone. However, for some reason, I’m quite partial to them. They are slightly dry and very grain-heavy. But, perhaps because the grains are organic, they have a much nicer, richer, more complex nutty flavor and aroma. As a result, the bite and texture of this version are also different from the regular digestives. I would say these organic digestives have certain similarities to oat cakes (biscuits) perhaps.

I think they would work great as a base for toppings like cream cheese, cottage cheese or ricotta with a dollop of fruit preserves – sort of like instant mini cheesecakes. I’ve also been meaning to (but have not gotten round to) melting some dark chocolate and dipping these into that for some home-made chocolate digestives. Another thought that also keeps playing in my mind in relation to these organic digestives… imagine… a layer of rich, sweet, caramel-y dulce de leche together with a layer of melted rich, bitter dark chocolate spread over the biscuit. Mmmmm…

Or, if you are as lazy as me, just dunk them in cold slightly sweetened soy milk – an Eastern update on the traditional way of eating digestives.

I would rank these organic digestives almost up there with my all-time favorite M&S; cookie… the RF chocolate digestives. Yes, I’m eating these healthier organic digestives, but I’m also still stuffing myself with the chocolate versions. And hey, my life is that much “richer” with two digestive loves instead of one!

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think it is time for my next digestive biscuit fix…

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