They are one of life’s little treats – the moreish morsel that’s not just for Elevenses… the humble biscuit.
Or, maybe not so humble.
Take the Garibaldi which has a heroic place in history.
It’s no exaggeration to say that without the currant baked sandwich there would be no Modern Italian state.
The great Italian Nationalist Giuseppe Garibaldi marched his revolutionaries south to Rome on the stomachs of his men.
In the Risorgimento in the 19th century.
Garibaldi’s soldiers were poor peasants and refuelled on sandwiches with currants.
The legend travelled with Garibaldi when he visited the north-east of England.
Walk this way
It’s a different package holiday, I grant you, but gorgeous landscape. And there they marketed the biscuit and it took off.
I was energised with Garibaldi biscuits on my heroic march into Rome on my Via Francigena, my 100km pilgrimage from Viterbo… Small roads lead to Rome.
Of course I didn’t know the country as well as Garibaldi.
And while I had planned to mark my entry into Rome with a paper cup of Chianti and a couple of Garibaldi buscuits atop one of the Seven Hills…
It didn’t go to plan as I hit a small wood and by the time I clambered my way out I was in the old Olympic Stadium.
But I did get to sit on the plinth of a Roman God… well, it’s the kind of company I deserve to keep.
FrancigenaWays http://www.francigenaways.com offers six nights’ 112km self-guided trip April to October, from €570.
Biscuits are my cup of tea, or coffee, but mostly tea. Or best of all una ciocolatta di calda densa, a thick hot chocolate.
I’ve shared with you this week the tale of the Stramberk Ears from Moravia in the Czech Republic… https://jimmurtytraveltraveltravel.com/2019/10/09/the-czech-republic-wish-you-were-ear/
And how the Moravians took to baking their honey-flavoured biscuits.
After finding bagfuls of Christian ears at the bottom of invading Mongolians’ stash. Visit http://www.czechtourism.com.
And now that I’ve let the biscuit out of the tin… I’ll dig out other timeless biscuit tales, of Anzac biscuits, Scottish shortbread, jammie dodgers….
Off to do some digging. And dunking.
