Are you due to visit Australia soon? If so, you’re in for a treat. The sunburnt country has much to offer in the way of sightseeing and tourism. Whether it’s taking in a breathtaking beach vista, hiking through a rainforest, visiting Uluru or one of our jewel cities, there is something for everyone to see and do in Australia.
If you’re a gourmand, you might be wondering what Australia has to offer in the way of food. Australia is quickly rising through the ranks of countries with award-winning food scenes, thanks to the enormous agricultural industry, giving chefs, restaurants, and food producers access to some of the best quality products in the world. But the true heart of Australian food is in the everyday favourites. Whether you’re on the hunt for some authentic Australian droewors or a quick takeaway from the local chippie, there’s plenty to savour and sample in the land down under.
Aboriginal Australian Food
The First Nation (Aboriginal) peoples of Australia have hunted and gathered their food off the land in Australia for tens of thousands of years. This food is locally known as ‘Bush tucker’ and is still eaten today by First Nations peoples in remote areas of Australia.
Bush tucker includes food such as emu, crocodile, kangaroo, quandong, bush tomato, yams, witchetty grubs, and macadamia nuts. Many of these tasty native foods have been incorporated into contemporary cuisines in Australia, and you may find these ingredients on the menu of restaurants and cafés in major Australian cities.
Iconic Aussie Cuisine
If there’s one thing Australians don’t do, it’s gatekeep their local favourites. While Australia’s restaurant scene is bursting at the seams, its love of the classics runs deep. Think kitchen pantry staples, corner store treats, and backyard barbeque essentials.
Vegemite — this thick, dark brown yeast-based sandwich and toast spread is a great source of B vitamins and is adored by many Aussies, somewhat controversially. Australian children have it ‘for breakfast, lunch, and tea’ according to the ‘Happy Little Vegemites’ advertisement jingle of 1954, which remains ingrained in Australian consciousness to this day. It is best served on toast, alone or with cheese.
Lamingtons — a sweet treat invented in Australia. They are squares of sponge cake filled with tasty jam and dipped in chocolate and coconut flakes. Perfect for afternoon tea with a cuppa tea.
Chiko roll — this spring-roll-esque, deep-fried snack can be found in convenience stores and fish and chip shops across Australia. It’s an iconic snack, popular among tradies (construction workers) and teens alike.
Tim Tams — made by Arnott’s biscuit company, the humble Tim Tam is probably Australia’s favourite chocolate biscuit. It’s impossible to have just one: visit a supermarket and prove this wrong.
ANZAC biscuits — these are tasty, crunchy cookies comprised of rolled oats, golden syrup, and desiccated coconut named after the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps made famous at Gallipoli: these flapjack-like biscuits were easy to get to the troops fighting overseas, as they kept extremely well and were a perfect trench snack.
Meat pies & sausage rolls — a true blue Aussie icon sold at AFL football matches and bakeries across the nation. These snack-sized takeaway pies contain minced meat and gravy, whereas a sausage roll is sausage meat wrapped in baked pastry.
Pavlova — a fair dinkum Aussie BBQ is not complete without a delectable Pavlova at the end for a treat. This meringue, fruit-topped, and creamy dessert was crafted in honour of the ballerina Anna Pavlova, who toured Australia in the 1920s. New Zealand also claims credit for the invention of the Pavlova, and like religion and politics, it’s best not to bring up this subject at dinner, especially if you’re dining with Kiwis.
Weetbix cereal — you can’t really get more Aussie than these filling wheat biscuits eaten for breakfast, which are endorsed by the Australian Cricket Team (Cricket being one of Australia’s national sports, alongside AFL and rugby). They are best served topped with honey.
Damper — you may hear of this traditional bread in passing, but it is rarely eaten by most Aussies these days. A filling bread, damper is cooked over a campfire, and it was the go-to source of energy for swagmen, stockmen, and horse drovers. Damper is made with flour, water, and sometimes milk.
The BBQ sausage — also known as the humble ‘snag’ the popularity of sausages is a firm nod to Australia’s British heritage and a constant BBQ favourite in Aussie backyards around the country. Snags are often put into a piece of bread with onions and tomato sauce as toppings. The ‘sausage sizzle’ stall is a typical fixture at markets, hardware stores, sporting events, or any other public events on weekends. In particular, on election days in Australia, it is common to eat a ‘democracy snag’ as local schools fundraise through sausage sizzles at election booth locations.
Barramundi — this is a popular Australian variety of fish. Australia’s clean ocean waters produce an abundance of seafood, which we love to eat. Seafood restaurants are common and popular, as the majority of Australia’s population lives near the East or West coasts.
Fish & Chips — this is a popular food to eat after a day on the beach: local stores serve up delicious fish deep-fried in batter or grilled. Common types of fish on offer include Hake, Hoki, Whiting, and Flake – a flake fillet is actually a fillet of Gummy Shark. This is often served with hot chips covered in chicken salt (another proud Aussie invention), and potato cakes or ‘scallops’, depending on where in Australia you are.
A hamburger with ‘the lot’ — despite the invasion of American burger-based fast food chains, you can still get a traditional Aussie hamburger with the lot, usually at a fish and chip shop. It’s a massive mouthful of meat, bacon, pineapple, tomato, beetroot, cheese, egg and lettuce.
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