Tim Tams come to a Target near you
November 14th, 2008 by Besha Rodell in Food & Life
Homesickness of the immigrant usually manifests itself in cravings for food from the homeland. There are other things of course – culture, smells, friends, in my case free healthcare – that gnaw at the soul of the immigrant, but nothing is more visceral than craving food one can’t have.
I grew up in Australia, and when I moved to the U.S. I missed many things about home, but junk food and candy were at the top of my list. That’s partly because the highbrow culinary treasures of Australia are mainly immigrant cuisines, and ones that I’ve found here. So the truly unique foods there are mainly snacks and candy. The other reason is that I left as a young teenager, when my love for junk was at its highpoint. It’s funny, I never really took to American junk – it’s as if the heartbreak of leaving home and longing for its junk shut down my lust for new kinds of candy. Apart from Oreos and Reeces (neither of which you can get in Australia), I’ve never quite taken to American packaged sweets.
But I’ve never lost my lust for the Australian varieties. When we moved to Atlanta, I decided on the spot that East Atlanta was the ‘hood for us, so excited was I by the chance for proximity to the Australian Bakery Cafe, were I could get a meat pie any time, and often a box of Tim Tams. Tim Tams – the great Australian cookie (or, in the proper vernacular, biscuit). Wikipedia explains, “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.” It’s the malt that makes them so exciting, and also the variety of ways you can eat them. Eat off the top biscuit and lick the cream out of the middle. Bite off either end and then slurp coffee though the creamy center. Disgusting!! Delicious!!!!!
Anyway, Pepperidge Farm is now selling Tim Tams at Target. I went and bought some, and am happy to report that they taste pretty much exactly like the Australian version (made by Arnott’s Biscuits). I thought I detected a little less malt flavor than in the originals, but I could be mistaken – I wasn’t doing a side-by-side taste test.
Now home is as close as the nearest mega-shopping center.
(photo from Wikimedia commons)
November 14th, 2008 at 2:47 pm
Besha: Did you know they’ve been selling Tim Tams for many years now at CostPlus World Market? They’re just called Arnott’s (as opposed to Arnott’s Tim Tams), and they’re in the biscuit/cookie aisle. CPWM also carries Cadbury Flakes (mmm!), Crunchies (mmm mmm!), and Nestle Aero, and Violet Crumble bars. During my days at Sydney Uni, I would go to McDonald’s, and the only thing I ever ordered was a vanilla soft-serve with a Flake stuck into it. Happy eating!
November 14th, 2008 at 3:10 pm
Cost Plus World Market does have great international sweets and other goodies. I can never resist grabbing one (or two) Cadbury Flake bars when I go there. The chocolate covered version is my favorite.
November 29th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
As an American who’s been in love with, or obsessed w/Australia since childhood, & wanting to go there, I’ve managed to have pen pals since I was a kid, & then since the internet, I’ve made friends all over Oz, & got introduced to wonderful tim tams from my Aussie gal pal who lives in the states. She sent me for my birthday, last year, a box full of Arnotts goodies & tim tams will always be my favorite. I order from simplyoz.com to get them, but now Target will be MY target. I went to Australia just a few weeks ago to see my boyfriend & he really hooked me up with some Tim tams. They ARE an Aussie treasure. Try them if you haven’t.