Australian Cuisine

AUSTRALIAN CUISINE REFERS TO THE FOOD AND COOKING PRACTICES OF AUSTRALIA AND ITS INHABITANTS. AS A
MODERN NATION OF LARGE-SCALE IMMIGRATION, AUSTRALIA HAS A UNIQUE BLEND OF CULINARY CONTRIBUTIONS
AND ADAPTATIONS FROM VARIOUS CULTURES AROUND THE WORLD, INCLUDING INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIANS, ASIANS,
EUROPEANS AND PACIFIC ISLANDERS.

INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIANS HAVE OCCUPIED AUSTRALIA FOR SOME 65,000 YEARS, DURING WHICH THEY DEVELOPED A
UNIQUE HUNTER-GATHERER DIET, KNOWN AS BUSH TUCKER, DRAWN FROM REGIONAL AUSTRALIAN FLORA AND
FAUNA. AUSTRALIA BECAME A COLLECTION OF BRITISH COLONIES FROM 1788 TO 1900, DURING WHICH TIME
CULINARY TASTES WERE STRONGLY INFLUENCED BY BRITISH AND IRISH MIGRANTS, WITH AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS
SUCH AS BEEF CATTLE, SHEEP AND WHEAT BECOMING STAPLES IN THE LOCAL DIET. THE AUSTRALIAN GOLD RUSHES
INTRODUCED MORE VARIED IMMIGRANTS AND CUISINES, MAINLY CHINESE, WHILST AUSTRALIA'S POST-WAR
MULTICULTURAL IMMIGRATION PROGRAM LED TO A LARGE-SCALE DIVERSIFICATION OF LOCAL FOOD, PARTICULARLY
UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF MEDITERRANEAN AND EAST AND SOUTH ASIAN AUSTRALIAS.
AUSTRALIAN CUISINE IN THE 21ST CENTURY REFLECTS THE INFLUENCE OF GLOBALISATION, WITH MANY FAST-FOOD
RESTAURANTS AND INTERNATIONAL TRENDS BECOMING INFLUENTIAL. ORGANIC AND BIODYNAMIC FOODS HAVE
ALSO BECOME WIDELY AVAILABLE ALONGSIDE A REVIVAL OF INTEREST IN BUSHFOOD.[2] AUSTRALIA HAS BECOME
FAMOUS FOR THE HIGH QUALITY OF ITS EXPORTS, WITH MAJOR AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRIES INCLUDING CATTLE AND
CALVES, WHEAT, FRUIT AND NUTS, VEGETABLES, MILK, SHEEP AND LAMBS (FOR MEAT AND WOOL), POULTRY, BARLEY,
CANOLA.[3] THE COUNTRY IS ALSO WELL REGARDED FOR ITS LOCALLY-MADE WINE, BEER AND SOFT DRINKS.

WHILE FAST FOOD CHAINS ARE ABUNDANT, AUSTRALIA'S METROPOLITAN AREAS HAVE FAMED HAUTE CUISINE AND
NOUVELLE CUISINE ESTABLISHMENTS THAT OFFER BOTH LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL FOODS. RESTAURANTS WHOSE
PRODUCT INCLUDES CONTEMPORARY ADAPTATIONS, INTERPRETATIONS OR FUSIONS OF EXOTIC INFLUENCES ARE
FREQUENTLY TERMED MODERN AUSTRALIAN.[4]
Development of Australian cuisine
Following the pre-colonial period, British colonisers began arriving with the First Fleet of ships at Sydney harbour in 1788.[14] The diet
consisted of "bread, salted meat and tea with lashings of rum (from the West Indies, but which was later made from the waste cane of the sugar
industry in Queensland)."[15] The British found familiar game in Australia including swan, goose, pigeon and fish, but the new settlers often
had difficulty adjusting to the prospect of native fauna as a staple diet.[1]

After initial difficulties, Australian agriculture became a major global producer and supplied an abundance of fresh produce for the local market.
Stock grazing (mostly sheep and cattle) are prevalent throughout the continent. Queensland and New South Wales became Australia's main beef
cattle producers, while dairy cattle farming is found in the southern states, predominantly in Victoria. Wheat and other grain crops are spread
fairly evenly throughout the mainland states. Sugar cane is also a major crop in Queensland and New South Wales. Fruit and vegetables are
grown throughout Australia[16] and wheat is a main component of the Australian diet.[17] Today there are over 85,681 farm businesses in
Australia, 99 percent of which are locally owned and operated.[18]
Barbecued meat is ubiquitous with Modern Australian cuisine, though it is estimated that more than 10% of Australians are now vegetarian

Chinatown, Melbourne.
Multiculturalism has contributed to
the development of a diverse local
cuisine in Australia.
 Beverage
 Billy tea is the drink prepared by the ill-fated swagman in the popular Australian folksong "Waltzing Matilda". Boiling water for tea over a
camp fire and adding a gum leaf for flavouring remains an iconic traditional Australian method for preparing tea, which was a staple drink of
the Australian colonial period.[1]

 The nation also has a longstanding dairy industry (virtually from colonisation) and today produces a wide variety of cheeses, yoghurts, milk,
cream, and butter products. Australians are high consumers of dairy products, consuming (on average) some 102.4 L of milk per person a year
(due in part to Australia's coffee culture), 12.9 kg of cheese, 3.8 kg of butter (a small reduction from previous year, largely for dietary
purposes) and 7.1 kg of yoghurt products.[21]

 The chocolate and malt powder Milo, which was developed by Thomas Mayne in Sydney in 1934 in response to the Great Depression, is
mixed with milk to produce a popular beverage. In recent years, Milo has been exported and is also commonly consumed in Southeast Asia
even becoming a major ingredient in some desserts produced in the region.[22]

A traditional
billycan on a
campfire, used to
heat water.
 Alcohol
The Australian wine Industry is the fifth largest exporter of wine around the world, with 760 million litres a year to a large international export
market and contributes $5.5 billion per annum to the nation's economy. Australians consume over 530 million litres annually with a per capita
consumption of about 30 litres – 50% white table wine, 35% red table wine.[23] Wine is produced in every state, with more than 60 designated
wine regions totalling approximately 160,000 hectares. Australia's wine regions are mainly in the southern, cooler parts of the country, in South
Australia, New South Wales, Victoria, and Western Australia. Amongst the most famous wine districts are the Hunter Region, Margaret River, Yarra
Valley, and Barossa Valley and among the best known wine producers are Penfolds, Rosemount Estate, Wynns Coonawarra Estate and Lindeman's.
[24] In Australia's tropical regions, wine is produced from exotic fruits such as mango, passion fruit and lychees.[25]

Beer in Australia has been popular since colonial times. James Squire is considered to have founded Australia's first commercial brewery in 1798
and the Cascade Brewery in Hobart, Tasmania, has been operating since the early 19th century. Since the 1970s, Australian beers have become
increasingly popular globally – with Fosters lager being an iconic export brand. However, Fosters is not a large seller on the local market, with
alternatives such as Victoria Bitter & Carlton Draught outselling the popular export. Craft beer is popular, as well as distinctive products from
smaller breweries such as Coopers and Little Creatures.[26]
Rum served as a currency during the late 18th and early 19th centuries in Australia when metallic currency was in short supply

Six Australian beers. XXXX

Gold was Australia's top-
selling beer by volume in
2012.
 Coffee
Australia has a distinct coffee culture. The coffee industry has grown from independent cafés since the early 20th century. The flat white first
became popular in Australia, and its invention is claimed by a Sydneysider.[28][29]

The iconic Greek cafés of Sydney and Melbourne were the first to introduce locally roasted coffees in 1910. In 1952, the first espresso machines
began to appear in Australia and a plethora of fine Italian coffee houses were emerging in Melbourne and Sydney. Pelligrini's Espresso Bar and
Legend Café often lay claim to being Melbourne's first 'real' espresso bars, opening their doors in 1954 and 1956 respectively. This decade also
saw the establishment of one of Australia's most iconic coffee brands, Vittoria, which remains the country's largest coffee maker and distributor.
The brand has existed in Australia since 1958, well before it moved to the US.[30]

Although Australians often drink tea at home, it has been found that in out-of-home establishments where tea and coffee are sold together, tea
accounted for only 2.5% of total sales. To this day, coffee chains such as Starbucks have very little market share in Australia, with other
homegrown franchises such as The Shingle Inn, Gloria Jean's, The Coffee Club, Dôme, Michel's Patisserie and Zarraffas Coffee also contributing
to the smaller coffee chain market share. One reason for this is that unlike in the United States and Asia, Australia already had a developed coffee
culture for manydecades before coffee chains came to the market.

A flat white with latte art.

Meat
Lamb is very popular in Australia, with roasting cuts (legs and shoulders), chops, and shanks being the most common cuts. Lamb will often form part of either a Sunday roast or a barbecue. It is also
commonly found as an ingredient in doner kebabs, a dish of Turkish origin that has been popular in Australia since the 1970s. Australia consumes more sheep meat than any other country listed by the
OECD-FAO (with Kazakhstan in second place). In 2017, Australians consumed an average of 8.5 kilograms (19 lb) per person. By way of comparison, New Zealanders average 3.2 kilograms (7.1 lb)
and Americans just 0.4 kilograms (0.88 lb)

Sheep grazing in rural

Australia. Early
Kangaroo meat found in British settlers
Fish and seafood restaurants, supermarkets or introduced Western
butchers stock and crops

Fish and Seafoods

Seafood consumption is increasing, but it is less common in the Australian diet than poultry and beef.[17]

The most common species of the aquaculture industry are: salmonids, tuna, edible oysters, pearl oysters and prawns. Other species include: abalone, freshwater finfish (such as barramundi, Murray
cod, silver perch), brackish water or marine finfish (such as barramundi, snapper, yellowtail kingfish, mulloway, groupers), mussels, ornamental fish, marine sponges, mud crab and sea cucumber.[39]

Bay lobsters, better known in Australia as Moreton Bay bugs (after Moreton Bay) are common in seafood restaurants, or may be served with steak as "surf & turf".

While inland river and lake systems are relatively sparse, they nevertheless provide freshwater game fish and crustacea suitable for dining. Fishing and aquaculture constitute Australia's fifth most
valuable agricultural industry after wool, beef, wheat and dairy.[40] Approximately 600 varieties of marine and freshwater seafood species are caught and sold in Australia for both local and overseas
consumption. European carp, common in the Murray as an invasive species is not considered edible by most Australians despite being common in cuisines across Europe.
Iconic Foods
Iconic shredded lettuce and sliced tomato in a (usually toasted) bread roll. Tomato sauce (similar to ketchup but made with less sugar with a more
liquid texture) or barbecue sauce are almost always included. Beetroot and fried onions are also common additions, and sometimes sliced
pineapple. Other frequently-served hamburger options are bacon, fried egg and cheese. Pickles are rarely included, except in burgers from
American chains.[47]

A common takeaway food is the meat pie, often found at bakeries aAustralian foods include ANZAC biscuits, lamingtons, Tim Tams, Chiko Rolls,
fairy bread and Vegemite, a vitamin-rich, savoury brewers yeast which is spread on toasted bread.[43][44] Another iconic dish is pavlova but the
origins of this meringue-based dessert are contested, with New Zealand also laying claim to its invention.[45][46]
Damper is a traditional Australian soda bread prepared by swagmen, drovers and other travellers. It is a wheat flour based bread, traditionally baked
in the coals of a campfire.
The Australian hamburger consists of a fried beef patty, served with snd especially popular at AFL matches.
barbecue sausages are a common food, particularly in the form of the sausage sizzle, which has been described as both a cooking technique and a
cultural event. They are served in a slice of white bread optionally with onions and tomato sauce.

ANZAC biscuits, Damper (soda Vegemite on toast

A pavlova
made without bread) being
garnished with
coconut cooked over hot
pomegranates and
coals.
cream
Regional Iconic food

As well as national icons there are many regional iconic foods.[48] South Australia has pasties – based on cornish pasties,
FruChocs, King George Whiting, and a range of food of German origin including mettwurst, Bienenstich (beesting), streuselkuchen
(German cake)[49] and fritz. The state has its own iconic brands such as Farmers Union Iced Coffee, YoYo biscuits, Balfours frog
cakes. Jubilee cake is a specialty of South Australia.[50] In Adelaide, a variant on the meat pie is the pie floater, which is a meat pie
served in a bowl of pea soup.

Victoria is famous for its home-grown Melbourne invention, the dim sim.[51] Tasmania has leatherwood honey and abalone.[52]
Queensland has Weis Fruit Bar and claims the lamington.[53]

Halal Snack Pack, ("HSP", also known in South Australia as an AB) is a Middle-Eastern inspired dish common at kebab shops
around Australia. It consists of doner kebab meat served over hot chips and covered in sauces (usually chilli, garlic, and barbecue).