rusk

South African rusks

A rusk is a rectangular, hard, dry biscuit or a twice-baked bread (zwieback, biscotte). It is sometimes used as a baby weaning food. In the UK, the name also refers to a food additive. See also Milk toast, the modern store-bought forms of which strongly resemble rusks with slight flavouring and sweeteners.

South Africa

In South Africa, rusk is a traditional biscuit (called beskuit in Afrikaans) that is eaten after having been dipped in coffee, tea, or rooibos tea.^[1] Historically, rusks evolved (along with biltong) during the country's early pioneering days as a way to preserve bread in the dry climate. It was also extensively used during times of war^[2] or when traveling long distances.

Traditionally baked at home, but there are now several mass-market versions available, the most famous probably being Ouma Rusks. Many bakeries, delis and home industries sell them, often using more exotic ingredients than their mass-market counterparts. In addition to plain and buttermilk flavours, there are aniseed, wholewheat, condensed milk, muesli, and lemon poppyseed versions.

The humble rusk - whether an Ouma factory model or one of my mother's delicious home baked ones - is a South African icon, kant en klaar

—T Coetzer, An ode to the rusk, Go! magazine, November 2009

Netherlands: Beschuitje

Beschuit

Beschuit are the light, round, rather crumbly, rusks as eaten in the Netherlands. It is customary to serve beschuit met muisjes (sprinkled with spiced "mice") at the birth of a baby. Beschuit are also eaten as a breakfast food with a variety of toppings, most commonly butter and sprinkles in flavors like chocolate (chocoladehagel) or fruit(vruchtenhagel). A longtime dutch tradition is to serve strawberries on 'beschuit' usually topped with some sugar or wipped cream.

Beschuits are almost always sold in rolls; a roll typically has thirteen rusks. They are made by first baking a flat round bread (beschuitbol), slicing it, and then baking each half again, possibly at a lower heat, as in the oven after the main baking is over. Etymologically, biscotto (16c. Italian), biscuit (19th c., from 16th c. bisket) and beschuitje come from L. (panis) bis+coctus, (bread) twice cooked. The South African beskuit (Afrikaans) tradition derives from Beschuitje.

Germany

Zwieback

The zwieback (lit. baked twice) is a form of rusk eaten in Germany.

Greece

The term paximadi (Greek: παξιμάδι) covers various forms of Greek rusk, made commonly from barley or chickpea flour, and softened with wine, water or oil before eating. Paximadi form the basis of the Cretan snack dakos (Greek: ντάκος).

Farley's Rusks

In the United Kingdom, Farley's Rusks are a dry biscuit dating from the 1880s but manufactured by Heinz since 1994. They are given to infants, sometimes soaked in milk and mashed up. They have a cult following among University students.^[3]

In 2006 there was a short lived scare when it was found that some Farley's Rusks contained traces of the weedkiller chlorpropham. The affected products were recalled and the contamination was traced to a batch of flour used during the manufacturing process. The level of contamination was not high enough to be considered a health risk.^[4]

A 2009 survey by the Children's Food Campaign found that Farley's Rusks were 29 percent sugar and called into question their nutritive value for children.^[5]

Butcher's rusk

To the British butcher rusk is a dry biscuit broken into particles, sorted by particle size and sold to butchers and others for use as a food additive in sausage manufacture.^[6][7] Contrary to popular belief, the rusk is not primarily a "filler" (used to "bulk-up" the meat product), but is instead used to bind the meat together and provide a particular texture.^[8] Though originally made from stale bread, now called "Bread-rusk", a yeast-free variety called simply "Rusk" is now more commonly used.

Various rusk particle sizes are used in the food industry, where uses include:^[9][10]

• A carrier for flavours, colours and seasonings
• A binding agent in hamburgers, sausages, stuffings, pies, and other compound meat products.
• As an ingredient for dried stuffing mixes.

References