Have you had one of these recently? Chances are you probably are wondering what "it" is. This, my benighted friend, is a toast-biscuit. Toast biscuits are essentially really really hard toast, with a bit of fat added in to make them taste better. No, not a crouton. Just...toast, in biscuit form. While I've yet to see people of any other nationality make and or eat these, brown people go crazy for them. Just the other day, my parents bought about 12 packs.
Why, you ask? I think this stems from the time the British ruled over Bangladesh (this may or may not be a developing trend). The English have a habit of consuming biscuits with their tea. As a completely amateur historian, I will make the conjecture that the Bengalis wanted to emulate the English. Since they couldn't afford the expensive biscuits from Belgium and the like, they simply decided to make their own using inexpensive toast.
Today, these biscuits are almost ubiquitous, found in nearly any Bengali supermarket. Their popularity remains a threat to real biscuits everywhere. (Note: If you want to make friends with a Bengali, serve them milk tea with toast biscuits. If you want to impress a Bengali, serve milk tea with real biscuits.)
Personal Note: These are excellent with any kind of honey on top. Or Nutella. Then again, what doesn't taste good with Nutella?
