Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--Israeli Tea Biscuits (Updated)

     I've written about some Israeli foods before (see March 11, 2017 post), and also about other country's biscuits before (see May 13, 2017 post, for one example), but this is of course a new topic.  Mainly, a couple of tea biscuits (cookies) I discovered in my local Shop Rite supermarket.  They were from Kedem, and were the chocolate and orange flavors.
     The company that eventually put out Kedem products was started by the Pluczenik brothers in New York City, back in 1948.  Initially it was known as the Royal Wine Corporation.  However, over in Czechoslovakia, the Herzog family started making wine in 1848.  They specialized in kosher wines, but also made some non-kosher varieties.  They were regarded well enough to become the exclusive wine supplier to Emperor Franz Josef (1830-1916), who at times was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and President of the German Confederation.  (More on Franz Josef later.)  However, being Jews in Czechoslovakia during the 1930's and mid 1940's was obviously very hazardous.  The Herzogs barely survived by hiding out, during which time they saw their family company get taken over by someone the Nazis approved of.  Then, shortly after World War II, the Communists took over Czechoslovakia.  So the Herzogs had enough, and immigrated to the U.S., to New York City.  Patriarch Eugene Herzog got a job with the Pluczeniks, and started amassing shares in the company along with his salary.  By 1958 he had the majority shares, and bought out the entire corporation.
     Kedem is therefore a brand of the Royal Wine Corporation.  As a whole the company makes or distributes many kind of alcoholic beverages, such as wine, vodka, tequila, bourbon, scotch, flavored brandy, and even specialty liqueurs such as chocolate, banana, amaretto, and chili pepper flavors.  They import alcoholic beverages from France, Italy, Israel, Spain, New Zealand, Australia, Argentina, Chile, Hungary, and Canada.  They also make or distribute juices, salts and seasonings, snacks, teas, candy and chocolates, organic chestnuts, gnocchi, and gefilte (see April 6, 2013 post).  Alternate flavors of the tea biscuits beside the two I tried include plain, whole wheat, vanilla, cappuccino, and sugar-free.  And as the blog title mentions, these cookies are actually made in Israel, and then imported.  Kedem sells over one million cases of kosher wine a year, to 16 different nations worldwide.  So they're obviously a large, successful conglomerate.

1) Kedem tea biscuits, chocolate flavor:  Roughly rectangular shape, with scalloped edges, measuring about 6.5 cm. by 3.75 cm. (about 2.5 inches by 1.5 inches), with a light brown color.  "Special Tea" was embossed on them.  Some hint of chocolate flavor, but pretty plain.  Slightly better after dipping in milk, but still boring.

2) Kedem tea biscuits, orange flavor: Same size, shape, and embossments as chocolate kind, although these were a yellow color instead.  Once again the advertised flavor was apparent, but only barely.  Pretty bland once again.  Milk dipping helped somewhat, but still not great.

(Update--I just tried another flavor, in 2021)  Kedem tea biscuits, cappuccino flavor:  Same size, shape, and embossments as the others.  And once again, the advertised flavor was weak.  I don't know if I could tell these apart in a blind taste test.  In this case it was probably positive, since I hate coffee flavors, but still.  Crunchy, and boring.)

     Therefore, it's once again demonstrated that I have "ugly American" taste in cookies/biscuits, preferring mine to be sweeter.  Evidently Europeans, and people from other areas of the world like their biscuits to be less sugary.  So if your palate is similar to mine, I wouldn't recommend them, but if you prefer blander cookies/biscuits, maybe you'll enjoy them.
     There is some disagreement about whether to count reigns started as a child, or as an adult, but Franz Josef is usually credited as serving the third longest reign of any monarch in European countries, and fourth overall.  Louis XIV of France reigned longest, followed by Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand,  and Johann II of tiny Liechtenstein.  (These records also don't make distinctions between "absolute" rulers and "figurehead" style monarchs.)