Iconic Australian and New Zealand Foods

Loving food as much as I do, I found it interesting the foods that are unique to Australia and New Zealand.

When Australia was settled by Great Britain in 1788 and New Zealand several decades later, the people relied heavily on imported goods in order to make their favorite foods. Since then, both countries have developed a range of food items which are quintessentially Australian and/or New Zealander. Sometimes they fight over who invented what and when. What follows, is a sample of these icons.

1. Lamingtons- A squarish piece of sponge cake dipped in chocolate icing and rolled in desiccated coconut. There are many variations of Lamingtons; one calls for the cake to be cut in half and then filled with strawberry jam and whipped cream. Australia even has their own National Lamington Day!

2. The Pavlova- The Pavlova is New Zealand's national dessert. This delicate cake is part of a great debate between Australians and New Zealanders who both lay claim to its invention. The Pavlova is a meringue shell with a marshmallowy center topped with whipped cream and fruit.


3. Shrimp on the Barbie!- The phrase "slip a shrimp on the barbie" was made famous by a television advertisement developed by the Australian Tourism Commission in the mid-1980s. The ad starred Crocodile Dundee actor Paul Hogan and was aimed at increasing American tourism to Australia, which it did very successfully. The ad is somewhat misleading. While the word "barbie" is short for "barbecue" and commonly used, the word "shrimp" is never used. Australians call it a "prawn."

4. Vegemite- Vegemite is a dark brown, savory spread. It was invented in 1922 by Dr. Cyril Callister, a chemist employed by the Fred Walker Company (later bought by Kraft). Its taste can best be described as salty with a subtle bitterness (although I hear this is one product that defies description). It is lightly spread on toast or crackers with some butter. It can also be spread on toast with peanut butter or cheese slices and sometimes used to flavor soup stocks. New Zealanders, while many like Vegemite, tend to prefer Marmite. Marmite has quite a similar taste to Vegemite, but it's slightly sweeter.