A short time ago I stayed with fellow writers at a private retreat in NSW. I live in Queensland the others in Blue Mountains and Old Bar. As a result, train travel worked well. We normally meet up in Greece or Italy, this was easier and cheaper. It was a huge advantage to get away and focus on our various manuscripts as well as discuss our writing challenges face-to face, We achieved far more than anticipated and enjoyed our little excursions exploring local attractions.
The bonus was our friend’s husband has a passion for cooking and we were the fortunate recipients of his divine creations. He truly is a master chef and produced healthy, tasty gourmet dishes from his plethora of cooking books.
But what prompted me to write this Blog is that on one of the days, he asked if we liked anchovies on Jatz dry biscuits and my response was “I love anchovies, are the Jatz the newer version of Savoy? All three stared at me with curious expressions and said, “what do you mean, they have always been Jatz”.
My reply after seeing the biscuits was “Oh, these are Savoy biscuits, maybe they have changed their name?” They responded, “What are Savoy biscuits?”
As a result, our confusion began, each of us wondering what the other was talking about, convinced we knew our dry crackers as we cracked up laughing.
History of Savoy vs Jatz
Needless to say, we proceeded directly to Google and made an interesting discovery. It seems that Savoy vs Jatz crackers is state-related a bit like potato cakes and potato scallops. I am a southerner, born in Tasmania lived for decades in Victoria followed by Queensland. My friends are all from NSW. This is where the confusion begins. In 1938 Savoy biscuits were on the market in Victoria and Tasmania before Jatz. Savoy (The Classic Aussie Cracker) was made by the Melbourne-based Brockhoff biscuit company. Jatz (Australia’s Favourite Cracker) was introduced by Arnott’s Biscuits in 1952.
Originally competitors, Arnott’s merged with Brockhoff Biscuits in 1963. Although Arnott’s adopted many of the Brockhoff products, they decided to keep the Jatz name separate as consumers in Victoria and NSW were equally passionate about their local brands. In Queensland, Jatz is the brand of choice as well as in NSW. Consequently, the confusing discussion with my writing mates was due to being from different states, and I have lived in three states.
I thought the biscuits tasted the same having consumed both at various times. Yet apparently, there are some minor recipe differences. Jatz contains full cream powder and malt, and Savoy contains golden syrup instead of malt. Savoy also have the word SAVOY embossed on their biscuit. The taste is similar so they say but I am keen to compare them at the same time. I may have to travel to Melbourne for a box of Savoy but will be checking the supermarket shelves in Queensland for interest sake.
Can you believe it is such a sensitive topic that a survey was conducted on Australians from different states and territories? Arnott’s revealed that 80% of people called the scalloped-edged icon Jatz. But when looking at the state statistics 70% of Victorians called it a Savoy biscuit, with 74% of Tasmanians siding with the Victorian name.
Today, both crackers are now owned and manufactured by Arnott’s. Savoy is commonly found in Victoria and Tasmania while Jatz is the brand of choice in New South Wales and Queensland. So there we have it!
Just to be cheeky, I’m off to a Brisbane supermarket now and I will ask the staff if they have any Savoy biscuits in stock.