How to pronounce Arnott's Nice biscuit correctly - News + Articles

Sep 23, 2024

The biscuit so nice the named it... well, once.

Ah, the “Nice” biscuit. A delightful treat, often enjoyed with a cup of tea after being pilfered from the office kitchen. But wait – before you bite into this cookie confection, let’s address the elephant in the room: its name.

Now, if you’re like most English speakers, your instinct is probably to pronounce it “nice” – as in, “That biscuit is nice!” That’s where you’re wrong. This biscuit, allegedly, hails from the French city of Nice, and we all know that French pronunciation is a delicate art, one that most of us butcher on a daily basis. So, let’s set the record straight: it’s pronounced “niece.” Think of it like calling your favourite biscuit after your favourite family member.

The exact origins of the Nice biscuit are somewhat unclear, with various companies claiming to be the original creators. According to popular belief, these biscuits were named after the French city of Nice. In around 1895, the British company Huntley & Palmers produced a version of Nice Biscuits, which were distributed to soldiers via the Army and Navy Co-operative Society.

A packet of Arnott's Nice biscuits on a white background

However, Aussie biscuit giant Arnott’s also asserts that they are the true makers of the Nice Biscuit. Initially, their biscuits were labelled ‘faite à Nice,’ meaning ‘made in Nice,’ but this was later shortened to just ‘Nice’ because it proved difficult to emboss the full phrase on the biscuits and we didn’t all pass highschool French. Fair.

With a murky history, it’s reasonable to say that the manufacturers did as we all do and put a French twist on the name to feel fancy. And fancy we feel when casually dropping Nice into conversation, pausing dramatically to see if anyone else noticed how sophisticated we are.

Of course, your friends may look at you like you’ve just spoken in tongues but don’t worry – you’ll be the biscuit connoisseur of the group, while they’re still stuck in the land of mediocrity, pronouncing it like common folk. After all, it’s not just an average biscuit – it’s a Nice biscuit.