Tim Tam
 |
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2008) |
 |
|
| Type | Snack food |
|---|---|
| Owner | Arnott's Biscuits Holdings (a unit of the Campbell Soup Company) |
| Country |  Australia |
| Introduced | 1964 |
| Markets | Australia, Canada, France, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Sweden and the United States. |
| Website | www.TimTam.com.au |
Tim Tam is a brand of chocolate biscuit currently manufactured by Arnott's in Australia. 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 35 million packs are sold each year: nearly 400 million biscuits, an average of approximately 1.7 packs per Australian.
Contents |
[edit] History
The biscuit was created by Ian Norris, who was the director of food technology at Arnott's. During 1958, he took a world trip looking for inspiration for new products. While in Britain, he found the Penguin biscuit and decided to "make a better one"[1].
Tim Tams were first put onto the market in 1964.[2] 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.[3].
In 2003 Arnott's sued Dick Smith Foods over their Temptin' brand of chocolate biscuits, which Arnott's alleged had diluted their trademark as a similar biscuit, in similarly-designed packaging.[4] The case was settled out of court.
Tim Tams were introduced to the U.S.A. through Pepperidge Farm as a promotional item from November 2008 to March 2009.[5] They were sold through Target stores only; varieties offered were Original (sold as Chocolate Crème) and Caramel. Pepperidge Farm re-released these two varieties with Classic Dark in October 2009. That time the Original and Caramel varieties were available in supermarkets other than Target and they were available in the U.S.A. until March 2010. In late 2009 Pepperidge Farm announced that they would be available in the future at the same time every year, from October to March. They are packaged with the slogan "Australia's Favorite Cookie."
[edit] Production
The original Arnott's bakery, opened in 1865, was located in Newcastle, New South Wales.[6] To date, manufacture of Tim Tams and other Arnott's products has remained largely within Australia, including bakeries in Sydney, Adelaide, and Brisbane. In 2009, Arnott's invested 37 million dollars in a state-of-the-art production line at its Brisbane facility, expecting to boost productivity and increase jobs.[7]
At the Huntingwood bakery in Western Sydney, the production line turns out about 3,000 Tim Tams per minute[8] and uses 20 tons of the cookie's cream filling and 27 tons of chocolate coating each work day.[8]
[edit] Varieties
In the 2000s Arnott's sold different varieties of the product.
In 2004, Arnott's caused a controversy when they released a range of alcohol-flavoured varieties of their products, including Tia Maria Tim Tams. It was suggested selling these biscuits in supermarkets where they were available to minors was irresponsible. However, it would take several thousand biscuits for the alcohol to have any effect.[9]
Similar products include "Temptins" from Dick Smith Foods, New Zealand's "Chit Chats",[10] Australian Woolworths' home brand product "Triple Choc" and the Coles brand "Chocolate Supreme" biscuits.
[edit] Canada
Tim Tams are popular in British Columbia, with Thrifty Foods selling three flavours: Original, Classic Dark, and Chewy Caramel. Overwaitea Foods sell Tim Tams throughout their supermarket chains, including Save-On-Foods, Cooper's Foods, PriceSmart Foods, and Urban Fare locations in Vancouver. Canada Safeway Limited and London Drugs also sell Original and Caramel Tim Tams in their western Canadian supermarkets.
Loblaws Companies (Loblaws, Real Canadian Superstore) also sells Original and Caramel Tim Tams in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
[edit] France
Until 2010, only sold at the ANZShop in Paris. Now available in Monoprix Stores nationwide.
[edit] USA
Pepperidge Farm, a sister company of Arnott's, brought the Tim Tam to the United States in the fall of 2008, with select distribution of caramel and chocolate crème flavours in Target stores, exclusively but nationwide. At that time, Pepperidge Farm launched an online community site that allowed users to track the cookies' journey from Australia to U.S. stores. The product is still "Made in Australia".
In the fall of 2009, Pepperidge Farm announced that Tim Tam biscuits will be made available each year between October and March (although still available year round in some of the northern states), in various stores. The brand also premiered the Classic Dark flavour in the United States, in addition to extending distribution of Caramel and Chocolate Crème flavours to supermarkets and grocery stores across the country.
A 7-ounce/200g package contains 11 biscuits.
Tim Tams available from "Cost Plus World Markets" in the USA do not bear the name "Tim Tam" on the wrapper and are branded as "Arnott's Original".[11]
[edit] Hong Kong
Tim Tam Chocolate Sandwich Biscuits are imported into Hong Kong by Campbell Soup Asia Limited. Each packet is 15g (0.53 ounces).
[edit] Indonesia
Tim Tam Chocolate Sandwich Biscuits are now manufactured in Indonesia by Halo Arnotts. A cheese flavour of Tim Tams has also been developed for the Indonesian market. [12]
[edit] Tim Tam Slam
The Tim Tam Slam is the practice of drinking a beverage (usually a hot beverage such as coffee or hot chocolate, though milk is a very valid alternative) through a Tim Tam.[13] (also known as a Tim Tam Shotgun and Tim Tam Bomb).
Opposite corners of the Tim Tam are bitten off, one end is submerged in the drink, and the drink sucked through the biscuit. The crisp inside biscuit is softened and the outer chocolate coating begins to melt.
Ideally, the inside of the biscuit should collapse with the outside remaining intact long enough for the liquid to reach the mouth. Refrigerating or similar processes help to preserve the outside coating while allowing the inside of the biscuit to dissolve into a warm, creamy centre. The thicker chocolate coating on the Double Coat Tim Tam offers a more stable structure to prevent a premature collapse. The caramel centre of the Chewy Caramel variety helps to hold the biscuit together for a slightly longer time - contributing to enhanced enjoyment[citation needed]. When the biscuit structure collapses it is typically pulled into the mouth.
The Arnott's company used the name Tim Tam Suck in a 2002 advertising campaign.[14][15]
Equivalent practices are possible with other biscuits, such as the Penguin and Breakway biscuits, available in the United Kingdom, and Twix, available in the United States[citation needed]. In an article in The Oberlin Review, Cat Richert reports attempting the practice in the United States using Oreo cookies after returning from a trip to Tasmania, but without success. Other chocolate coated biscuits can be used, with the MintSlice biscuit also being a firm favourite in Australia.[16]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Kirsty Needham (18 April 2003). "Branding rivals will never take the biscuit, says Mr Tim Tam". The Sydney Morning Herald. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/04/17/1050172707606.html. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
- ^ Pulley, Roz (2005-09-24). "Welcome to Cairns... Tim Tam capital of OZ". The Cairns Post (News Corporation): p. 3.
- ^ "Arnott's Product Range - Tim Tam". Arnott's Biscuits Limited. 2005. Archived from the original on 2006-10-04. http://web.archive.org/web/20061004180114/http://www.arnotts.com.au/products/TimTam.aspx. Retrieved 2006-10-20.
- ^ Went, Sheree: Smith and fans tempt Tim Tams, The Age, 7 May 2003.
- ^ "The Tim Tam Test: USA vs. Australia", Meniscus Magazine, 21 October 2008
- ^ "About us: Arnott's Heritage". Official Arnott's website. Arnott's Biscuits Limited. http://www.arnotts.com/about-us/arnotts-heritage.aspx. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
- ^ "Investment in Arnott’s Brisbane factory". Austrade. Australian Trade Commission. 15 April 2009. http://www.austrade.gov.au/Invest/Investor-Updates/090415-Investment-in-Arnotts-Brisbane-factory/default.aspx. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
- ^ a b "The secrets of the Tim Tam". News.com.au. 2012 News Limited. pp. 8. http://www.news.com.au/business/gallery-e6frflwr-1111120558976?page=8. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
- ^ Alcohol-flavoured treats attacked, The Age, 4 February 2004.
- ^ Needham, Kirsty: Branding rivals will never take the biscuit, says Mr Tim Tam, The Sydney Morning Herald, 18 April 2003.
- ^ http://www.worldmarket.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3624277
- ^ "Cheese Tim Tams a big hit in Indonesia". ninemsn - 9 News. ninemsn. http://news.ninemsn.com.au/world/8393546/cheese-tim-tams-a-big-hit-in-indonesia. Retrieved 23 December 2011.
- ^ "Tea-sucking record attempt". Croydon Guardian. 30 January 2004. http://croydonguardian.co.uk/misc/print.php?artid=454762.
- ^ Arnott's Tim Tam Official Website (Internet Archive cache 6 Jun 2002) Accessed 14 Jan 2008.
- ^ Australian Business Intelligence site search results Accessed 14 Jan 2008.[dead link]
- ^ Cat Richert (19 April 2002). "Adventures From a Land Under the Land Down Under". Oberlin Review. http://oberlin.edu./stupub/ocreview/archives/2002.04.19/news/article9.htm.
