flipTravel Bag Ginger Biscuits
Travel Bag Ginger Biscuits
Why this dish? Bly traveled around the world with only one small bag. Dry ginger and molasses biscuits — which keep for weeks without going stale — were the ideal snack for a long train or ship journey, slipped into a corner of the luggage.
Thin, crunchy biscuits, browned by molasses and enlivened by ginger. Sturdy, dry, indestructible: they travel without breaking and curb hunger between stops.
Do you know how much luggage I took to go around the world? One small bag, and not an ounce of space to waste! So I always slipped a few ginger biscuits into a corner: they don't crush, they don't spoil, and they set you right when the train has no dining car. My grandmother made them with molasses, very crunchy, with enough ginger to warm your belly. A handful in my pocket, and I could face any ocean.
- •Wheat flour — enough for a firm dough (biscuit structure)
- •Molasses — one cup (color, sweetness, and preservation)
- •Butter or lard — half a cup (crispness)
- •Ground ginger — one to two spoonfuls (signature spicy warmth)
- •Saleratus (baking soda) — one spoonful (leavening and browning)
Travel Bag Ginger Biscuits
Thin, crunchy biscuits, browned by molasses and enlivened by ginger. Sturdy, dry, indestructible: they travel without breaking and curb hunger between stops.
Why this dish? Bly traveled around the world with only one small bag. Dry ginger and molasses biscuits — which keep for weeks without going stale — were the ideal snack for a long train or ship journey, slipped into a corner of the luggage.
Do you know how much luggage I took to go around the world? One small bag, and not an ounce of space to waste! So I always slipped a few ginger biscuits into a corner: they don't crush, they don't spoil, and they set you right when the train has no dining car. My grandmother made them with molasses, very crunchy, with enough ginger to warm your belly. A handful in my pocket, and I could face any ocean.
Ingredients (period version)
- Wheat flour — enough for a firm dough (biscuit structure)
- Molasses — one cup (color, sweetness, and preservation)
- Butter or lard — half a cup (crispness)
- Ground ginger — one to two spoonfuls (signature spicy warmth)
- Saleratus (baking soda) — one spoonful (leavening and browning)
Ingredients
- Flour — 300 g (structure)
- Molasses (or cane syrup) — 120 ml (color and binder)
- Butter — 90 g (crispness)
- Brown sugar — 80 g (sweetness)
- Ground ginger — 2 tsp (dominant spice)
- Cinnamon + a pinch of cloves — 1 tsp (spiced depth)
- Baking soda — 1 tsp (leavening and browning)
Method
- Gently melt the butter with molasses and sugar; let cool slightly.
- Mix the flour, ginger, spices, and baking soda.
- Combine everything into a firm dough; refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Roll out thinly and cut into rounds; place on a baking sheet.
- Bake at 180 °C for 8 to 10 minutes until brown and firm. Cool: they harden and become crunchy. Keep for weeks in an airtight container.
How it was made : Dry molasses and ginger biscuits ('ginger snaps') were American kitchen staples: cheap, they kept for a long time thanks to sugar and dry baking, making them a choice provision for sea or train travel in an era without refrigeration.
The contemporary twist : Stack them in a small metal tin styled as a 'travel ration': a snack that fits in your pocket and crosses any time zone.
Sources : Estelle Woods Wilcox, Buckeye Cookery and Practical Housekeeping (1877) · Mrs. D. A. Lincoln, Mrs. Lincoln's Boston Cook Book (1884)
Nellie Bly · Charactorium
