In Australia, "biscuits" are what Americans call "cookies," and these traditional treats date back to World War I.
In this case, bikkie (the colloquial Australian word for a cookie), is clipped slang for biscuit (the British English word for a type of cookie), and it uses the -ie diminutive suffix. Australian English is full of words based on this formula.
In general, the British, Australians, South Africans, New Zealanders, Indians, Bangladeshis, Pakistanis, Sri Lankans, Singaporeans, Nigerians, Kenyans, and Irish use the British meaning of "biscuit" for the sweet biscuit.
Biscuit (UK) / Cookie (US)
In the US, cookies are flat, round snacks made of sweet dough. In the UK, these are generally called biscuits, although people do call the bigger, softer kind cookies, too.
You can buy Good Day, Bourbone, 50-50, Britannia Nice Time and many other Britannia biscuits online in Australia. Check out our wide range of Britannia biscuits online blow.
The use of the word 'Anzac' in the commercial production and sale of Anzac biscuits is usually approved, however the biscuits must not substantially deviate from the generally accepted recipe and shape, and must be referred to as 'Anzac Biscuits' or 'Anzac Slice' (not 'Anzac Cookies').
The recipe for Anzacs is legally protected by the Australian and New Zealand governments, and Aussies and Kiwis alike seem to go up in arms (hopefully not literally) when their national recipe is tampered with, or when the biscuits are called 'cookies' (by pesky Americans, no doubt).
In Australia, "biscuits" are what Americans call "cookies," and these traditional treats date back to World War I.
Americans are the outlier on how we use "biscuit"
To most of the rest of the English-speaking world, a biscuit is what Americans would refer to as either a cookie or a cracker. Biscuits can be sweet (shortbread) or savory. They're baked in the oven, and they're crisp, not chewy.
Courgette or Zucchini
English zucchini goes by courgette in England, the French word for the green gourd.
American English and British English use the same word to refer to two distinctly different modern foods. Early hard biscuits (United States: cookies) were derived from a simple, storable version of bread. The word "biscuit" itself originates from the medieval Latin word biscoctus, meaning "twice-cooked".
If you want a bag of what Americans call 'chips' in the UK, just ask for crisps.
Tucker – /təkə/
Tucker is a word that Australians use for food.
Grub. Meaning: (Noun) This slang word refers simply to food.
See also: 'Dirty Bird' (KFC). “Let's pop into Maccas after the footy.”
But the more common name in many European countries was derived from the Latin bis coctus, or “twice-baked.” That's where we get both “biscuit” and “biscotti.” The name, it turns out, is more figurative than it sounds: British military hardtack was baked four times, and modern British biscuits are only baked once.
A Biscuit (U.K.) is a Cookie (U.S.) A Biscuit (U.S.) Is a Scone (U.K.)
The number one spot for Australia's most popular biscuit we easily give to Tim Tam because everyone who has any knowledge of Australia's culture knows that Tim Tams are a prototype of the country's sweet treats.
For over fifty years the Tim Tam has been a popular choice in biscuits, and is said to be found in one in every two Australian households; Australians eat about 45 million packets per year.
American biscuits are different to Australian biscuits because they are more like Australian and British Scones. American Scones are also different again. Aussies refer to cookies and biscuits the same.
Anzac biscuits are undoubtedly an Aussie and NZ classic, and they're ridiculously easy to make - whether you're marking our National Day of Remembrance or you just want to bake something quick with ingredients you already have in your pantry.
While Anzac biscuits do incorporate ingredients like oats and (optionally) coconut and can be soft and chewy or crunchy with a pronounced snap, the Department of Veteran Affairs (DVA), part of the Australian federal government, has declared that calling an Anzac biscuit a cookie is un-Australian.