The USA has Oreos, the Brits swear by Jaffa cakes, Argentina’s got alfajores and Scotland loves a good Hobnob, but us Aussies have Tim Tams – arguably the world’s best chocolate biscuit and undeniably Australia’s favourite. Last year, more than 2.8 million households indulged in the iconic Tim Tam Original. But how did it become such a national treasure?
The history of Australia’s most famous choccy bikkie goes way back to 1958, when an Arnott’s food technologist, Ian Norris, travelled to the UK on a biscuit research mission (dream job, right?). While there, he discovered the ‘Penguin’ – a treat consisting of two rectangular chocolate biscuits sandwiched with white cream and coated in milk chocolate.
Inspired, Norris returned home on a mission to create an Aussie version that was even better, and five years later, the Tim Tam was born. Fun fact: Tim Tams were actually named after a horse that won the Kentucky Derby in 1958. Random, but it’s kind of an unintentional nod to the penguin – though we know who’d win the race.
While inspired by the Penguin, Norris’ recipe consisted of two smaller malted biscuits, a chocolate cream filling and a milk chocolate coating. That winning combo has barely changed over the past 60 years, though Arnott’s has blessed us with lots of fun, new flavours along the way.
According to Arnott’s, the three most popular flavours in the Tim Tam hall of fame are Original, Double Coat and Chewy Caramel. No surprises there! Memorable editions for their team over the last six decades include Choc Banana, Turkish Delight, Dark Choc Banoffee, Red Velvet, Dark Choc Espresso Martini, plus Kensington Pride Mango and Cream.
Both the classic and limited-edition flavours are baked at Arnott’s bakeries in Huntingwood, NSW and Marleston, SA. The Huntingwood Tim Tam line operates 24/7 and stretches more than a kilometre, meaning it can crank out 60 Tim Tams per second, 3,000 per minute and 4 million in 24 hours. That’s enough to feed 15 per cent of the Australian population in just one day!
Tim Tams might be our nation’s most famous snack, but the Tim Tam Slam – sipping your cuppa through a biscuit straw – is hands down our greatest culinary invention. In fact, one in three Aussies has participated in this ritual. And the best day for a slam dunk? National Tim Tam Day (February 16), of course! Yep, we love the chocolate biscuit so much that we’ve dedicated an entire day to celebrating its chocolate, cream and glory.