Welcome back, food lovers!
Thank you for joining me for another one of my food blogs.
Today, we are traveling to Australia, the world’s 6th largest country, which means it is very diverse in landscapes, climates, and biodiversity. Also, a fun but unrelated fact that I found while doing a bit of research on Australia: From 1838 until 1902, it was prohibited in Australia to swim in the ocean during daylight hours, specifically between the hours of 6am-8pm (*insert shocked emoji*). Now that we’ve learned about that interesting law… let’s get back to why we are actually here- FOOD! Let’s get right into it 🙂
1. Meat Pie
Meat pies are often regarded as Australia’s national dish (although it is also very famous in New Zealand). They are small pies that contain diced meat and gravy, and also vegetables like onions and mushrooms. Meat pies are commonly eaten as takeaway food snacks as they can either be eaten by hand or with a knife and fork. However you decide to eat them, just be sure to let them cool a bit because the filling tends to be very hot!
2. Vegemite
Vegemite is a thick brown spread that is made from brewers’ yeast extract with the addition of several spice additives. It was invented in Australia in 1922. It is VERY popular in Australia, but its taste is unusual and can be weird to those unfamiliar with it. Vegemite was created in Melbourne, Australia, and is full of vitamin B, which has many health benefits. Although vegemite on bread is not a difficult dish to make, it is an iconic Australian dish, and is eaten at breakfast or for lunch as a snack. Too bad it’s not a healthy version of Nutella, right?
3. Witchetty Grub
Although this is not a very common dish in Australia, I thought it was too unique not to share. The witchetty grub dish was created by the Aboriginal people, who were the natives of Australia. In short, the dish is a big larva of a moth that is edible and contains a lot of protein. Some like eating it raw but most prefer roasting them in coals or over a fire. According to the internet, they taste like “nut-flavored scrambled eggs and mild mozzarella, wrapped in a phyllo dough pastry.” Who knew a larva could taste like so many different things?
4. Lamington
And now for a dish that actually looks delicious… Lamington is a very popular Australian cake that is made from square-shaped butter or sponge cake coated in an outer layer of chocolate and rolled in small pieces of coconut. This dessert is known as the national cake of Australia and was named after Lord Lamington, a former Governor of Queensland, which is a state in Australia. A famous variation of this dessert has a layer of strawberry jam or cream between the two cake layers. Whichever variation you might get, lamingtons go perfectly with a nice warm cup of tea or one of Melbourne’s world-famous coffees.
Thank you for reading today’s food blog, and I hope you enjoyed learning about Australian cuisine. Let me know what dish you liked the most and if you have ever tasted any of these!
See you next time! (Said with an Australian accent 😉 )
Oren 🙂
I especially like how you highlighted an Aboriginal dish among your foods of Australia. Even if it’s wildly different from what a white-majority society would consider as food, the flavor description brings it closer to what people in outside cultures may be familiar and comfortable with. I have tried vegemite before and had a strong opinion about it, but I do respect that people do enjoy it and that it’s a staple of this country.
I like how you incorporated multiple dishes from different parts of Australia! The “Meat Pie” is also notable in New Zealand, which is interesting because it shows how a certain dish can expand to other countries/cultures. Personally, I feel like my taste when it comes to food is very limited. I do not go out of my comfort zone and like to stick to foods I am used to, so I love learning about other cultures and what their staple food looks like!
I really liked how you included a unique Aboriginal dish as well! Although the larvae aren’t likely to be my cup of tea, I’m sure they offer a lot of nutritional value. One thing I have tried before was Vegemite, and I can safely say that it should not be eaten alone (it was a bad experience). With bread and some other elements of a sandwich, Vegemite is definitely more tolerable. Great blog!
I really enjoyed how you talked about dishes from different parts of Australia to really encompass the diversity within the foods! Vegemite is definitely not an unknown food, but I have heard some mixed reviews about it. It takes a certain kind of person to tolerate and enjoy it! Overall great post!