As a child I presumed that the word Anzac, as in Anzac cookies, was the name of a place in the UK (the internet was a primitive invention at that point!). As it turns out there are several well-known acronyms in the English language that people don’t even realize are acronyms (see “scuba” in this link).
But back to the word Anzac, which is an acronym for Australia New Zealand Army Corps. The militia no longer exists – it was disbanded in 1916. The term is still used though as Anzac Day that is celebrated every year in Australia and New Zealand for the servicemen who died serving their countries. Australia and New Zealand mark their calendars every year on April 25 for this holiday.
The origins of Anzac cookies have quite bit of myth and legend. The traditional story tells of Anzac biscuits being sent overseas to troops as effectively an army ration. Because the cookies were not made with eggs, they could last longer. There is little proof to back this story up and research from the New Zealand Army Museum indicates that the cookies were primarily sold to raise money for the troops and not for the troops themselves to eat while they were away.
Read about the history from this link.
Please ask me how to try out and acquire Anzac cookies – they are one of my personal favorites!
HW
Sweet Notes and Tips 