I am a long-time lover of Arnott’s Ginger Nut biscuits.
Whilst people may reach for an Arnott’s Kingston, or a Scotch Finger, I’ll always be reaching for a Ginger Nut.
From its too-tough-to-chew texture, made soft and gooey when dipped in a piping hot mug of tea, to its aromatic ginger flavour, I have had countless wondrous moments consuming the Ginger Nut.
Despite its reputation as a biscuit enjoyed by grannies and its notoriety for the risk it poses to your teeth, it will remain on the icon-status tier of Aussie bikkies for me.
It was during an interstate trip to Queensland that I realised the jaw-breaking experience of a Ginger Nut was a uniquely New South Wales experience. After acquiring a packet of Ginger Nut biscuits, I was left stunned by a dessert moment quite different to the one I was used to: an easy-to-chew Ginger Nut with a sweeter flavour.
This ultimately led me down the rabbit hole of researching the history of the Ginger Nut. Driven by a passion and curiosity within me to uncover the truth, I went to two places at which I believed I was going to find my answers: the internet and Arnott’s Consumer Care Team.
It turns out that Arnott’s makes four varieties of the Ginger Nut: the NSW version, VIC version, SA/WA version, and finally, the QLD version. Each of the varieties differ by recipe, in turn affecting the taste, size and texture of each type.
Why is this the case you may ask?
In the 1960s, a few biscuit companies across Australia joined forces under the one Arnott’s banner. After Arnott’s failed attempt at creating one national Ginger Nut recipe that closely resembled the NSW version, the people of Australia were not happy.
They voiced their concerns loud enough for Arnott’s to decide to revert back to producing four different Ginger Nut varieties to suit the palates of people in each of the states.
Thus, we have what Emily from Arnott’s Consumer Care Team has described as, “one of Arnott’s most unique products.”
Whilst I did not have the exciting opportunity of taste-testing each of the varieties myself due to money and time constraints (although the idea of going on an Arnott’s Ginger Nut road trip across Australia sounds incredible), Emily described the differences between each of the versions.
“In Queensland, Ginger Nuts are thin and sweet, with a dark colour. In New South Wales they are small, thick and very, very hard, with a light colour. In Victoria and Tasmania, they are bigger, softer and sweeter. While in South and Western Australia, the biscuits look similar to their Victorian cousins, but taste sweeter.”
According to the anonymous blog Books, biscuits and bicycles…who in 2016 ranked each of the different varieties based on a plethora of factors, the NSW biscuits win in terms of dunkability: retaining its form but becoming soft and chewy upon dunking it in a hot cuppa.
In comparison, the Queensland version became very soggy and crumbled in the tea, as did the Victorian version, whilst both South Australia and Western Australia version held up well.
In addition, the blogger pointed to the ginger/gingerbread taste difference. The Victorian version is the most gingery, whilst the Queensland version is the most gingerbready.
The blogger also found differences in terms of ingredients: with some biscuits having more or less sugar content, and also different quantities per pack coinciding with the density of the biscuit.
As the NSW version is the most dense, we get 19 biscuits per pack, whereas Queenslanders are treated to 30 biscuits per pack due to the thinness of their Ginger Nut variety.
No matter what Ginger Nut variety you’ve grown up to love (or hate), each boasts a sense of uniqueness loved by the locals in each of the states and territories. The Ginger Nut remains one of the best biscuits to dunk in your cuppa and it’s been that way since 1906.
Whatever Arnott’s has in store for the future of Ginger Nuts, no-one will know. But it doesn’t seem like they’ll be taking them off our supermarket shelves anytime soon given their steadfast popularity.
So put the kettle on, make a cup of your favourite tea, and crack open a packet of Ginger Nuts.