Marie biscuits were synonymous with tea. , Photo credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto
I Recently met a former colleague over a cup of tea at a new-age fancy cafe where masala chai is sold in kulhads, in air-conditioned environments, for truckloads of money that would easily cover a month’s worth of tea leaves at home can buy. But despite the small fortune I paid, I really missed Mary’s biscuits.
As a child, Marie biscuits were synonymous with tea, although I was not allowed to drink tea. But come 6 pm, I would eagerly sip evening tea with my parents. I quickly gulped down my “health drink”, being rewarded with two Marie biscuits, which I dipped in my parents’ tea before eating the soft, tea-filled medallions that these biscuits served as. Were.
Mary Biscuit was also my first partner in crime when it came to donning the cooking hat. After asking my maid to chop some onions and tomatoes, I would make my toasties and try to sell them to my neighbors. Sadly, no one showed interest in buying these home-made delicacies, and that was the end of my entrepreneurial journey, at just 10 years old. When I’m in the mood for something sweet, I get creative with a layer of butter and a dollop of chocolate spread sandwiched between two Marie biscuits and enjoy my sweet, buttery and salty mix. Years later, I realized that sea salted chocolate has a similar taste, but it is not very friendly on my pocket.
Marie Biscuits have a very interesting history that goes back 149 years. The first Mary biscuit was made in 1874 by Peak Freins, a London bakery. A special snack was required to celebrate the matrimonial alliance between Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia and the Duke of Edinburgh. And these biscuits were named Marie, in honor of the Grand Duchess. Soon, these biscuits became extremely popular throughout Europe, especially Portugal and Spain.
After several civil wars in Europe in the early 20th century, followed by World War I, Marie biscuits became a symbol of economic recovery, when bakeries produced them to consume surplus amounts of wheat.
Due to the British Raj, they made their way to the Indian subcontinent, and are now available in many flavors and forms, from orange maries to oats-based marie biscuits. Put all together, the Mary market in India is now ₹3,500 crore.
My biscuits are a staple at Indian tea time, offering convenience and fewer calories than our other favorite tea samosas. Mari biscuits are no nonsense, simple snacks that take away any and all complications associated with deciding what to pair with tea. They also have the fewest calories per biscuit, and coming from a family of doctors, that’s probably why they’ve always been my family’s favorite tea-time snacks. Interestingly, my fascination with Marie Biscuits later helped me answer a question on these evergreen biscuits in a college quiz. Who knew that a tea time snack could one day help me win something?
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