No, France, you cannot claim Tim Tams!

Photo of Tim Tams on the French regional products shelfWalking through the supermarket the other day, I was surprised to see the tasty Australian Tim Tam biscuit placed right next to a “Regional Products” banner. The Tim Tam biscuit has been hanging around in French supermarkets for a while now, and their shift from the “world products” aisle to the biscuit aisle was already quite a jump. Their new location has now had the local banner of approval added, so locals will take notice. This is great advertising for the biscuity goodness, and it will save me from my duty as an Australian to explain to anyone standing next to them in the biscuit aisle that they’re the best biscuit ever and they won’t regret buying them. I’m not kidding about that, by the way: I have hassled more than one French person into agreeing to purchase the imported biscuit. However, let me be clear here, Carrefour: Tim Tams are not from Haute Savoie.

 

Monoprix claim Tim Tams as FrenchMeanwhile, posh French supermarket Monoprix has gone a step further, claiming Tim Tams as a product of France. Look, France, you have the monopoly on crepes, croissants, champagne and cheese, and they’re just your famous products beginning with the letter “C”. You cannot claim the Tim Tam. This piece of heaven is definitely Australian. It’s flattering that French supermarkets think so highly of a biscuit from a country which really has no claim on any original food (we could talk about the origins of pavlova all day long, and although cheesy bready dip is a taste sensation with a typically descriptive Aussie name, it’s not even that well known in Australia for us to properly claim it). Flattery gets you lots of places, France, but not when it comes to Tim Tams.

Digiprove sealCopyright protected by Digiprove
About

I'm a technical author, journalist and writer from Australia who has been living in Europe since 2000 and exploring the world from there. My passions are writing, snow sports and travel.

10 Comments on “No, France, you cannot claim Tim Tams!

  1. Whaaaaaat!!! No way! I love France and the french as you know, Wen. But this is beyond the pale! They sure carried on a treat about our Champagne and other wine varieties. And now they try and sneak this past! This could sour Franco-Australian relations and trade agreements for years to come.
    What’s next? Vegemite, harvested from the fields of the old Renault factory at Boulogne-Billancourt? Outrageous!
    I photographed a packet of “Twisties” marketed as “Fonzies” in Italy, and even that invoked howls of outrage from some.
    Bon week-end Wendy.

  2. Hahah! You crack me up, Ron! Can you imagine Vegemite being popular in France? “Pain-au-mite” (Vegemite version of a pain au chocolate), “Croque Garçon” (instead of ham and cheese, vegemite and cheese)…hmm, there might be a business plan here…

    Ah yes, Fonzies. In France, try Croustilles – very similar flavour and exactly the same texture as Twisties!

  3. Hmm, you may have something there, Wendy.
    We will be back in France in September. Might just pack some jars of the black gold to woo the French with! Oh la la!

  4. That’s great that they sell them in French supermarkets!! That’s funny how they say they are from France but maybe they are actually made locally and that’s why it says that? A bit like how McDonalds is from the US but the burgers are always made locally.

  5. The Tim Tam packets still say ‘Made in Australia’ on them, so they’re definitely not a local variety.

    If you’re anywhere nearby, Ron, yell out!

  6. Would love to say G’day, Wen.
    We will be staying in Strasbourg for a week and hiring a car, but I think you may be a bit far for a day trip, unfortunately.

  7. We’ll be in Paris the first week, then Strasbourg. Hmm, we’ll be in Bellagio for a few days mid-September, which is actually closer to where you are I think.