Top 10 Most Popular Australian Dishes || Australian Best Street Foods
While it often feels like Australia doesn’t have many traditional dishes due to its multicultural population, once you give it some thought, it becomes clear that we really do have some unique offerings down under. The 10 listed below may not fall under fine dining, but they are as local as they can get. Let’s begin.
Number 1: Pavlova
Delicate as the ballerina it was named after, pavlova is the quintessential summer dessert. Whipped cream is typically dolloped on top of a snowy meringue, followed by a pop of color in the form of fruit, preferably the tart varieties, which contrast with the sweetness of the meringue. Research suggests pavlova is a descendant of the German torte and was invented in the 1920s during Anna Pavlova’s tour of Australia and New Zealand. Although the exact inventor is still debated, the first recipe for pavlova appeared in print in 1926. However, it was not the dessert we know today but instead a multi-colored gelatin dish.
Number 2: Avocado Toast
Avocado toast is a dish consisting of a piece of toasted bread topped with mashed avocado, salt, pepper, and sometimes citrus juice. There are many variations of this dish, which can be enriched with ingredients such as salmon, tomatoes, onions, eggs, garlic, cheese, olive oil, or red pepper flakes. Although the dish is quite simple and straightforward, its origin is debated. Some claim it is an Australian invention, while others believe Los Angeles is where it was born.
Number 3: Meat Pie
The concept of the pie traces its roots back to the Neolithic period, when barley, semolina, and grains were made into a paste filled with honey and baked over hot coals. The Greeks then developed pies filled with meat. It is believed that the meat pie was brought to Australia during the colonization period, as it was hugely popular in Europe at the time and provided good nutritional value for settlers with basic and widely available ingredients. This national dish is made with flaky pastry filled with gravy and minced meat. Numerous variations exist, so the filling can also be made from onions, chicken and asparagus, mushrooms, cheese, crocodile meat, vegetables, or seafood.
Number 4: Lamington
The world-famous Australian culinary icon lamington consists of sponge cake dipped in chocolate and sprinkled with finely desiccated coconut. The cake is believed to have been created by accident when Lord Lamington’s maid accidentally dropped his favorite cake in melted chocolate. Lord Lamington, the eighth governor of Queensland, suggested that the cake be sprinkled with coconut to avoid mess while eating it, and the erroneous cake was proclaimed a massive success by all. Today, the cake is extremely popular due to its climate suitability, as it lasts longer in the heat when cut into bite-sized squares and covered in coconut.
Number 5: Chicken Parma
Chicken parmigiana is a poultry dish consisting of breadcrumb-coated chicken breasts topped with tomato sauce and cheese, then baked until the cheese melts and the chicken is properly cooked. Although it has an Italian-sounding name, chicken parmigiana is actually an American dish derived from the Italian dish melanzane alla parmigiana or eggplant parmesan. No one knows who invented chicken parmigiana, but it is very popular in American cities with large Italian immigrant populations, such as New York and New Jersey. Regardless of its origin, the dish is usually served on top of rice or pasta, while some prefer it as part of submarine sandwiches.
Number 6: Prawn Cocktail
Shrimp or prawn cocktail is a seafood dish consisting of cooked prawns served in a glass with cocktail sauce. The dish has vague origins, but most people claim it was invented by a 19th-century miner from California who first used oysters in a glass with sauce. The Golden Gate Hotel in Las Vegas was the first to offer a 50-cent shrimp cocktail in 1959, serving it in a tulip glass with cocktail sauce. The cocktail sauce usually consists of ketchup and horseradish or ketchup and mayonnaise. This iconic dish was especially popular from the 1960s to the 1980s.
Number 7: Vanilla Slice
Vanilla slice is Australia’s answer to mille-feuille. This dessert consists of thick custard flavored with vanilla sandwiched between puff or phyllo pastry sheets and topped with vanilla, raspberry, strawberry, chocolate, or passionfruit icing. Due to the custard’s slightly wobbly texture, the vanilla slice is sometimes also called a “snot block.” Once prepared, the dessert is cut into slices before being served. This dessert is so popular that there is an annual competition for the best vanilla slice baker, called the Great Australian Vanilla Slice Triumph.
Number 8: Spag Bowl
Short for spaghetti bolognese, spag bowl is one of Australia’s national dishes. This dish offers a uniquely Australian version of the classic Italian tagliatelle al ragù alla bolognese. It is typically made with a combination of Australian beef, mushrooms, onions, carrots, celery, bacon, garlic, tomatoes, and spaghetti pasta. The use of Australian beef and mushrooms gives the dish a truly Australian feel, differentiating it from similar dishes. It is recommended to serve the pasta first and then top it with the flavorful, meaty sauce.
Number 9: Vegemite
Vegemite is a notoriously yeasty spread that can be found in nine out of ten pantries in Australia. It all began in 1922 when the Fred Walker Company, known today as Kraft Food Company, employed a chemist to invent a new spread using leftover brewer’s yeast extract, rich in vitamin B. He called it Vegemite. The spread, made from yeast extract, spices, and vegetable additives, has a thick, gluey texture similar to peanut butter and a dark red-to-brown, almost black color. The taste is an acquired one, as Vegemite is extremely salty.
Number 10: Anzac Biscuits
Anzac biscuits are sweet cookies made from flour, oats, golden syrup, butter, sugar, coconut, and bicarbonate of soda. Although their origins are not clear, both Australia and New Zealand claim to have invented the Anzac biscuits we know today. The first known recipe for these biscuits was completely different from modern Anzacs, although similar recipes were found in early 1900s cookbooks. The cookies are linked to Anzac Day, a day of remembrance for the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps’ landing at Gallipoli, as some believe the biscuits were sent to Anzac soldiers during the war.
You may also like other foods. But I present to you the ones that I think are the best. What is your favourite food? Comment on this blog post. And flow instagram.
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