Biffins

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Biffins are a special kind of dried apple, flat in appearance and soft to the touch, prepared in large quantities in Norfolk, England. They are obtained by a very slow drying of the fruit and occasional pressing.

These were specifically apples of the Norfolk Beefing variety baked in cooling bread ovens under weights to flatten and then sold cold.

These were slowly cooked whole, then cored, then rubbed with sugar. To eat, you would peel off the tough skin, and garnish with more sugar and cream. You would eat them cold or room temperature.

Very popular in Victorian times but largely died commercially out after World War 2.

They are referred to by Charles Dickens in A Christmas Carol - "Norfolk Biffins, squab and swarthy, setting off the yellow of oranges and lemons, and in the great compactness of their juicy persons, urgently entreating and beseeching to be carried home in paper bags and eaten after dinner".

[edit] References

• This article incorporates text from the public domain 1911 edition of The Grocer's Encyclopedia.