Tim Tam
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A close up view of a Tim Tam |
Tim Tams are an approximately
cuboid chocolate biscuit made by
Arnott's, Australia, and are claimed to be
Australia's favourite chocolate biscuit. A Tim Tam is composed of two layers of chocolate malted biscuit, separated by a light chocolate cream filling, and coated in a thin layer of textured chocolate.
According to Arnott's, around 30 million packs are sold each year – nearly 300 million biscuits, an average of approximately 1.5 packs per Australian. Tim Tams were first put onto the market in
1964. They were named by Ross Arnott, who attended the
1958 Kentucky Derby and decided that the name of the winning horse
Tim Tam was perfect for a planned new line of biscuits [
1].
In recent years Arnott's have developed variations of Tim Tams including Chewy Caramel, Mocha, Double Coat, Chilli Chocolate, Classic Dark Chocolate, Black Forest Fantasy, Creamy Truffle Temptation and the latest Choc Orange, as well as a range of special edition varieties. In September 2005, Arnott's launched Tim Tam Balls, a smaller spherical version of the biscuit.
In
2004 Arnotts caused a controversy when they released a range of alcohol-flavoured varieties of their products, including
Tia Maria Tim Tams. Suggestions were made that selling these biscuits in
supermarkets was irresponsible as minors could get hold of the product. However, it would take several thousand Tim Tams for the alcohol to take effect.
For people living outside of Australia or
New Zealand, it is possible to import Tim Tams, but no longer through Arnott's (they have permanently closed their online store); some international supermarkets are supplying Tim Tams:
*In the
United Kingdom, a similar style of biscuit called
McVities'
Penguins (which actually predate the Tim Tam by about thirty years) is widely available. However, brand loyalty and patriotism from Britain's large expatriate Australian population have prompted
Tescos, and other supermarket chains to import and sell the Original, Chewy Choc Fudge, and Chewy Caramel flavours.
*In the
United States, Tim Tams were sold on a trial basis in supermarkets in 2001 under the brand name "Double Trouble". Several companies sell mail order Tim Tams (along with many other Australian foods) in the United States. As of late, Tim Tams can be found on the shelves of Cost Plus World Market retailers under the name Arnott's Originals.
*In
Canada they are available under the name Arnott's Biscuits.
*Tim Tams are also imported to and sold in
Israel and the
Palestinian Territories, and to
Hong Kong and
Japan.
There are also a number of Tim Tam knock-offs by competing companies, including the controversial "Tem
ptin" produced by
Dick Smith's food company,
Dick Smith Foods.
Main article: Tim Tam Slam
The
Tim Tam Slam, also known as the
Tim Tam Suck,
Tim Tam Explosion,
Shot-gunning a Tim Tam, or just plain
Tim Tamming is the main form of
Tea Sucking and involves biting off opposing corners of the Tim Tam and then using it as a 'straw' to suck up a hot
beverage (usually
tea,
coffee, hot chocolate, or
Milo) and then, just before the biscuit falls apart, it is placed in the mouth. The thicker chocolate coating on the
Double Coat Tim Tam offers a more stable exoskeleten to help ensure the biscuit does not collapse prematurely. The Chewy Caramel variety also has an advantage for performing the Tim Tam Slam since the caramel centre helps to hold the biscuit together for a slightly longer time. The Arnott's company prefers the name
Tim Tam Suck.
A Tim Tam Slam has been successfully performed by
Natalie Imbruglia and host
Graham Norton on the
So Graham Norton television series in the
United Kingdom. American actress
Jennifer Love Hewitt also successfully performed one live on
Rove McManus's Australian talk show
Rove Live after professing her love for the biscuit.
*
Arnott's product page
