A Marie biscuit is a type of biscuit similar to a Rich tea biscuit. While the Rich tea biscuit is the most popular version of this biscuit in the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man, it is the Marie version that is most popular around the world.
The Marie biscuit was created by the London bakery Peek Freans in 1874 to commemorate the marriage of the Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia to the Duke of Edinburgh.[1] It became popular throughout Europe, particularly in Spain where, following the Civil War, the biscuit became a symbol of the country's economic recovery after bakeries produced mass quantities to consume a surplus of wheat
Like the Rich tea biscuit, many consider the Marie's plain flavour particularly suitable for dunking in tea. Other popular methods of consuming the biscuit includes using two to make a sandwich with butter and marmite or condensed milk spread in between; covering it with golden syrup; or crumbling it up in custard and jelly (gelatin dessert). Marie biscuits are frequently served to children, and infants who may be served the biscuits softened in milk as their first solid food. Marie biscuits are also a common ingredient in home baking recipes.
