Hey! Remember Golden Fruit? - Jessie Unicorn Moore

Eccles isn't the only cake / pastry of its sort: similar treats include the Banbury cake, the Chorley cake (which is actually most similar to the Garibaldi biscuit) and the Blackburn cake.

The pastry apparently proved quite popular. By the early 1800s, they were being commercially produced and exported, which brought them to a greater audience. By the mid-1800s, larger companies had noticed the trend and came up with their own versions. The Garibaldi biscuit was one of them. It was first manufactured in the 1861 by the biscuit company Peek Freans.

Operating in partnership with Carr's (a biscuit company name you will still see), the biscuit gained a larger audience, even being exported to Australia. Eventually, it became known internationally and spawned similar treats, including my beloved Golden Fruit, which was manufactured by Sunshine. The line was expanded when Sunshine was acquired by Keebler, then eventually discontinued when Keebler became part of Kellogg. Whew! What a history!

Back to why the biscuit is named after Garibaldi. There are a few different theories I've pieced together:

1. Garibaldi was simply a BIG NAME around the time that the biscuits were first produced. He made a widely publicized visit to England in the 1850s, and it seems reasonable enough that brands might want to capitalize on his name (not unlike naming a food after a celebrity or important figure today).

2. There's one theory I came across online that during his campaign to unite Italy, Garibaldi's men were fed Eccles cake-like treats. This could account for the namesake, too; if I were a biscuit maker and this big famous general had a connection with this treat, I'd probably try to take advantage of that connection.

3. There's a dark (and quite frankly, dubious) theory that they are named Garibaldi biscuits because during military feats, Garibaldi often found himself without food to feed his troops, and would "bleed" horses for a source of nourishment, which attracted lots of flies. The "squashed fly" connection" could be connected to this. I like this as a story, but it really doesn't seem accurate.

Wow, what a story these little biscuits have!

Today, it's a bit harder to find these treats in the USA, but not impossible. You can find Garibaldi biscuits in some grocery stores with a well stocked International aisle (pick up some Bird's custard while you're there too, because that's always a good thing to have on hand) and also via the Vermont Country Store.

You can also make your own. This simple recipe has me intrigued; so does this one (which has good reviews) via King Arthur Flour, though personally I'd probably go lighter on the sugar topping, not to avoid sugar but for a texture more like I remember.

Do you remember Golden Fruit? Or, have you tried a Garibaldi biscuit?