Plasmon biscuit facts for kids
Plasmon biscuits are a type of biscuit that contains a special ingredient called plasmon. Plasmon was a unique kind of dried milk powder. The company that made it said that just 3 pounds of plasmon powder was like having 100 pints of milk!
The International Plasmon Company made plasmon. They added it to many foods. This included Plasmon Oats, Plasmon Cocoa, and Plasmon Biscuits. Today, Plasmon biscuits are still made in Italy. The H. J. Heinz Company makes them.
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The Story of Plasmon Biscuits
Plasmon was a powder made from milk protein. It could be mixed into different foods. This made the foods taste better and added nutrients. Plasmon biscuits were very popular around the early 1900s. People thought of them as a health food.
Famous Users of Plasmon
Famous explorer Ernest Shackleton took Plasmon biscuits on his trip to Antarctica in 1902. On Christmas Day, he wrote about having a "grand" hot lunch. It included Bovril, chocolate, plasmon biscuit, and jam.
Another company, Jacob's, also made a type of plasmon biscuit in 1915. These were said to be similar to digestive biscuits.
The writer Victor Whitechurch created a fictional detective named Thorpe Hazell. This character was a vegetarian and ate plasmon biscuits every day. The famous actress Ellen Terry wrote that George Bernard Shaw often ate "a plasmon biscuit and a bean!" for dinner.
George Strachey Fawle, a director of the International Plasmon Company, said plasmon helped him recover from a serious illness. The famous author Samuel L. Clemens, also known as Mark Twain, invested in the company. He also told people about the health benefits of the powder. He ate it daily and encouraged his family to try it. He even offered samples to visitors.
J.Y.M. MacAlister, another investor, and Mark Twain helped convince the British Army's Medical Director-General. They got him to use plasmon as food for soldiers recovering from injuries. This happened during the Second Boer War. Mark Twain's biographer, Albert Paine, said that one of the tastiest forms of plasmon was in chocolate.
Plasmon and Fitness
In the early 1900s, people interested in physical culture (fitness) and vegetarianism often suggested eating plasmon. It was sold as a food to help build muscles and strength. In 1901, the famous strongman Eugen Sandow said that plasmon was the "essential food" he had always wanted. He added that he would "never be without it." Ads for Plasmon often claimed it had special health benefits. These ads sometimes linked plasmon to ideas of strength and manliness.
Eustace Miles, a fitness expert and vegetarian, also promoted plasmon. He said it was a good muscle-building food for children, adults, and athletes.
Plasmon's Journey in Italy
In Italy, the Plasmon Society started in 1902. It was first called the Italian Plasmon Syndicate. In 1916, it changed its name. This company became very important between the two World Wars and after World War II. At first, they only imported and sold pure plasmon powder. Later, they started making and selling plasmon biscuits, plasmon pasta, and plasmon chocolate.
In 1963, the H. J. Heinz Company bought the Plasmon Society. In 1976, it was renamed Plasmon Dietetic Food. By 1995, it became a direct part of Heinz. Plasmon still makes its products, like Plasmon biscuits, today.
The Story of Plazma Biscuits
In Serbia, there is a popular story about what happened after Heinz bought the Plasmon Society. Many workers were laid off from the factories. One of these workers, Petar Tutavac, supposedly went back to his hometown of Požarevac. The story says he then helped start the Serbian food company Bambi a.d. and create its famous Plazma biscuits in 1967 and 1968. These biscuits are sold as Lane biscuits outside of former Yugoslavia to avoid legal issues with Heinz.
However, Momčilo Filipović, Bambi's founder, has said this origin story is not quite right. He explained in an interview that he wanted to expand a wheat mill in Leskovac to make biscuits. The city, however, preferred to focus on its traditional textile industry. After long talks, Bambi got the rights and technology from Italian producers. Bambi was then set up in Požarevac. Tutavac, who was a master-baker from a small biscuit factory in Croatia, was hired. He later became the technical director.
