Why Arnott’s Ginger Nut biscuits are made differently in each state

Arnott’s has revealed one of its biscuit ranges is made differently depending on which state you live in. Find out which one and how it differs.

Are you an Arnott’s aficionado? The true test may be if you know one Ginger Nut from another, because strangely there are four.

In true Australian style, a country that couldn’t agree on everything from the size of beer glasses to a unified rail gauge, you’ll find different Arnott’s Ginger Nuts from state to state.

So, here’s a quick rundown on what to expect on shelves nationwide.

The New South Wales and ACT Ginger Nut is the thickest and hardest, and says Amy Wagner of The Arnott’s Group, the best for dunking in a cuppa.

Queensland’s Ginger Nut is thin, sweet and darker in colour, Wagner says, and more like a gingerbread-style biscuit.

Ginger Nuts in Victoria and Tasmania are bigger, softer, sweeter, and closest to the traditional ginger nuts you would find in Europe.

The different types of Ginger Nut biscuits.

And as for South Australia, Western Australia, and the Northern Territory, their variety looks very much like its Victorian counterpart albeit sweeter in taste.

Back in the 1960s as Arnott’s grew, amalgamating products under the one banner, there was an attempt to consolidate the different Ginger Nut recipes into one, which in today’s terms would be that sold in New South Wales.

Arnott's Ginger Nut biscuits are made differently in different states.

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I’m sure you can see where this is going. Australians held no truck with a unified Ginger Nut, as biscuits are something that we grow up with, a daily luxury that many hold dear. The backlash was effective, and those regional varieties remain to this day.

Wagner confirms that these differences can sometimes cause confusion with customers who buy them away from home.

“We occasionally get calls from consumers concerned that the taste or texture had changed which is when we let them know they’re eating a different version of the Ginger Nut,” she says.

“For border towns, such as Albury-Wodonga, there can occasionally be a mix up of NSW and Victoria biscuits. We even know of stories where some consumers take their own version with them when they travel interstate.”

The Ginger Nut biscuit is most popular in Queensland.

So, is there a Ginger Nut to rule them all?

Well in terms of taste it’s all subjective but the differences in the product state to state tell us that there is surely a Ginger Nut for everyone.

Even Arnott’s aren’t sure which is the oldest, Wagner saying their records don’t go back that far to answer confidently.

But we can say the Queensland variety is the best-selling, followed by the New South Wales variety.

Who knew that such a staple of the morning cuppa could have so many twists and turns?

For more food, travel and lifestyle news, go to delicious.com.au

Originally published as Why Arnott’s Ginger Nut biscuits are made differently in each state