Condiment Curiosity: Lotus Biscoff® (Original Caramelised Biscuit Spread)

Eighth in the series, the Belgian sweet, cinnamon-spiced spread born from crushed biscuits - sometimes known as "crack in a jar" - continues to captivate the world...

You may have had them set on the saucer alongside your cup of coffee at a hair salon, in a restaurant after a meal while sipping espresso or indeed several thousand feet in the sky served as a sweet treat mid-flight from the trolley. Lotus’ speculoos biscuits are the bite-sized, toffee-coloured thin biscuit with a caramelised flavour and light spicing that have become iconic around the world.

A chance opportunity by way of a reality show led Lotus to mass produce a peanut butter-like condiment which switched out peanuts for their own biscuits and the rest is history. Lotus has become the prime Belgian bakery, still family-owned and still headquartered in the small town it began in almost a hundred years ago, so let’s twist open the jar and dig a spoon straight in to its beloved and addictive spread.

This is Condiment Curiosity, our series on Chip Paper of deep dives into iconic cupboard staples, tracing the eclectic history of enduring food brands found on many supermarket shelves and in kitchen cupboards. If you missed any of our previous featured condiment long reads (Aromat, Sriracha, Salad Cream, Branston Pickle, Marmite/Vegemite, TABASCO and Maille Dijon Mustard) you can click back and catch up after this!

This series tends to cover a lot of cupboard staples and iconically enduring condiment brands that have lasted the course of decades, even centuries, however you might be surprised to find that Lotus Biscoff® spread is relatively very new. It was first produced in 2008, so is just beyond 15 years in production. Our own first experience of it was after our first few trips to Belgium in the beginning of our relationship in the early 2010s. We had tried this addictive and indulgent spread and couldn’t find the “crack in a jar" we craved so much back home, so dutifully begged Dublin’s prime gourmet food hall Fallon & Byrne to order it in and over a decade later it has never left the shelf.