The news that the ‘correct’ way to enjoy the humble chocolate digestive is ‘chocolate bottom down’ sent tremors through the barrel, leaving biscuit-loving Brits to crumble in confusion.
The revelation came to light after a blogger posted their response from United Biscuits on subreddit, following a long online debate about the correct way to eat a chocolate digestive.
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A spokesperson from United Biscuits, which was created in 1948 following the merger of Edinburgh-based McVities & Price with MacFarlane Lang, replied to the blogger saying: “For your information, the biscuits go through a reservoir of chocolate which enrobes them so the chocolate is actually on the bottom of the biscuits and not on the top.”
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McVities who have been producing biscuits in Levenshulme since wartime rationing in 1917, confirmed that the McVities stamp is on the biscuit side, which is the top of the biscuit.
According to United Biscuits, 71million packets of McVities chocolate digestives are bought each year in the UK – that’s 52 biscuits eaten per second.
The McVities chocolate digestive, which will celebrate its 90th birthday next year, was voted the nation’s favourite biscuit in a 2013 poll.
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Almost a quarter of respondents voted the chocolate-coated wheat-based biscuit as their biscuit of choice despite being unaware of the correct digestive-eating etiquette.
MM took to the streets of Manchester, armed with supplies of chocolate digestives to find out if the city has been eating their biscuits upside-down.
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The results were unanimous – only 4.2% of Manchester has been eating their chocolate digestives the ‘correct’ way round.
|
Chocolate on Top |
Chocolate on Bottom |
|
95.8% |
4.2% |
Forty-year-old Stretford Joiner, Peter Fahay said: “I always tell my daughters to eat them chocolate up. It takes them that long to eat it that all the chocolate melts on their clothes if they eat it chocolate side down.”
STRAIGHT DOWN THE BISCUIT BARREL: Joiner Peter Fahay, 40, is sticking to the ‘chocolate up’ approach
Retired Mo Gibb from Glossop told MM: “I used to work in a biscuit factory, so I know how these are made.” Despite her expertise, the 60-year-old still nibbled her biscuit chocolate-side-up.
For many, the new findings have resulted in life-changing action, admitting that they preferred the newly-discovered chocolate-side-down technique.
Mian image courtesy of thebarrowboy with thanks
