5 Aussie Foods You Thought Were From Overseas

The term “Australian cuisine” is a quasi-oxymoron no more. Restaurateurs and chefs, from Perth to Brisbane, proudly brandish it on menus and promote a seasonal type of “national” cuisine the likes of which was not so apparent ten or twenty years ago. Oz television chefs, from Kwong to Stone, have global celebrity. On the high-end of the spectrum, restaurants like Quay, Tetsuya’s, Marque and Attica attract foodie pilgrims from all over the world. Australia’s wine regions, too, play a part in the country’s culinary renaissance and inject a deep, substantive sense of terroir, from Margaret River to the Barossa, Hunter Valley to Tasmania.

A meat pie so good, no tomato sauce necessary – Photo credit

But in the end, no prominent national food scene can dismiss the humble, everyman victuals that got it there. After all, despite the fame of a Ferran Adrià, Juan Mari Arzak or Andoni Aduriz, Spain still has patatas bravas. And the likes of Michel Bras, Pierre Gagnaire or Joël Robuchon can win Michelin stars galore but baguette will forever rule the daily diet of France.

Over in North America, some of the most influential chefs hit the reset button on blue-collar classics to seduce scenesters and culinary critics alike. That trend is firmly in place Down Under, especially with these staples, which incredibly, some people still credit with overseas ingenuity.

Pavlova

Australia or New Zealand? One day some intrepid culinary anthropologist will solve the mystery although in recent years, proud Kiwis have put forth a strong case. Whatever the case, Australia lays claim to the pavlova as the national dessert of record. The story of pavlova’s origins mimic that of Peach Melba in reverse, in a strange way. In 1892, Auguste Escoffier, legendary pioneer chef of the Savoy Hotel in London, made pêche Melba after a hit of inspiration – à la minute – for Melbourne soprano Dame Nellie Melba. Pavlova, that decadent meringue concoction, on the other hand, is the eponymous dessert of ballerina Anna Pavlova, who took Australia and New Zealand by storm on a tour in the 1920s.

Meat Pies

Australia did not invent the meat pie of course but took the handheld snack to another level. The indelible footy snack’s links with Oz are manifest – so much so that in recent years a spate of “Australian meat pie” lunch counters have begun to sprout up in food-mad cities like New York and Montreal.

Vegemite

The story of chemist Cyril Percy Callister is proof positive that parents should encourage their kids to play with their food. One wonders if the Ballarat, Victoria native had any idea that his tinkers with brewer’s yeast would yield such a colossal, cultish subculture. Pay ol’ Cyril a visit at Box Hill Cemetery in Box Hill, Victoria, with a jar of Vegemite or a cheesymite scroll in hand, and thank him for his contribution.

Melbourne City Guide

Lamington

Australia’s go-to fundraiser and bake sale lure combines sponge cake, chocolate, coconut – and often lemon – most deliciously. Lord Lamington, former governor of Queensland, is the namesake this time.

Burger with the Lot

It has become rather de rigueur to pimp burgers with foie gras, posh cheese and other luxe ingredients at hipster burger bars from L.A. to Brooklyn. The addition of a wobbly, sunny side up egg is particularly popular but lest anyone forget, this is a venerable tradition Down Under (and probably as Australian as the Granny Smith apple or ANZAC biscuit). A hamburger with the lot must contain, at minimum, pickled beets, a grilled pineapple ring, chili mayo and/or tomato/bbq sauce and yes, that perfectly runny egg.