Australian Cuisine: A Guide to Common Foods & Flavors

Introduction

Australia is a country of diversity and extremes. From the scorching Outback deserts to the frigid Tasmanian rainforests, you’ll find all sorts of weird plants and animals that have adapted over time to survive in their environment. The same goes for Australia’s cuisine: You’ll find that our food has been influenced by many other cultures, including French, British, Germanic and Asian cuisines. Here are some common Australian dishes you should try if you visit our great country!

Chicken Pie

Chicken pie is a simple, hearty dish that’s perfect for sharing with friends and family. It was first created by Australian settlers in the early 20th century, when they had to make do without refrigerators or ovens. The main ingredients were chicken and vegetables–and sometimes even leftover meat from the previous night’s dinner!

Chicken pies are usually made with pastry crusts on top of a bed of mashed potatoes or rice, then baked until golden brown and bubbly. You can also use puff pastry for an extra flaky crust. Chicken pies are usually served with gravy (or sauce), which adds flavor but also helps keep everything moist as it bakes in the oven!

Scones

Scones are a traditional British dessert. They’re made from flour, butter, and milk or cream, which makes them very rich. Scones can be sweet or savory; both types have an outer crust that’s crispy when baked but soft inside. If you’ve ever had scones at a tea party or coffee shop in Australia, then you probably ate one of these sweet varieties–they’re usually topped with jam and served with clotted cream (a thick dairy product).

The name comes from the French word “escanee”, meaning “shard”. In medieval times when there was no refrigeration available to keep food fresh for long periods of time without spoiling quickly due to bacteria growth on its surface area (such as mold), people would cut their bread into small pieces called shards so that they could eat it faster before it went bad! When colonists arrived Down Under during Colonial Times Australia (1788), they brought their recipes for making bread into dishes like scones which became popular amongst locals because they were easy meals made out of simple ingredients such as flour & butter plus any leftover scraps like oats left over from making porridge breakfast cereal bowls every morning.”

Damper

Damper is a simple bread made with flour, water and salt. The ingredients are mixed together in a bowl, then spread out on an oven tray and baked until golden brown. It’s best served with butter or jam — there are many recipes online for both!

Damper takes about 30 minutes to cook. You can serve it as part of breakfast or lunch with coffee or tea; it’s also delicious alongside soup or stew at dinner time (or anytime really). Damper contains no gluten so it’s safe for people who need to avoid gluten in their diets but still want something filling enough to serve as a main meal rather than just an accompaniment.*

Pavlova

Pavlova, a meringue dessert named after Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova, is a common dish in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. It’s often topped with whipped cream or fruit.

The traditional pavlova recipe calls for egg whites, sugar and cornflour to make a firm shell around the outside of your pavlova–this prevents it from collapsing under its own weight when you cut into it (which happens if there’s not enough structure in your meringue). You can also use egg whites alone if you want to omit the cornflour altogether!

You’ll need: 1 cup caster sugar plus 2 tablespoons; 4 large free range eggs whites; 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar; pinch salt; 3 cups fresh fruit (berries)

Makes 8-10 servings

Fish and Chips

Fish and Chips is widely considered to be Australia’s most popular meal. It consists of deep-fried fish and potato served with tomato sauce, tartar sauce and chips (French fries).

While this dish has its origins in England, it has become a staple in Australian cuisine. The first Fish & Chip shop was opened in Melbourne by Greek immigrant Harry Ramsden in 1928; however it wasn’t until World War II that the popularity of fish and chips really took off when soldiers returned home from Europe with their own recipes for battered seafood which they shared with friends back home.

Meat Pie

A meat pie is a savory pastry dish that originated in Australia. It consists of minced meat, such as beef or lamb, mixed with onion and seasonings. The filling is then wrapped in a pastry crust and baked until it’s golden brown on top.

Meat pies are popular throughout Australia but especially so in New South Wales where they’re sold at sporting events like rugby matches or cricket matches (a sport similar to baseball). They’re also sold at fairs, festivals and other community events.

The word “pie” comes from the French word for “pie”; pied de cochon translates into English as “pig’s foot”.

Tim Tams

Tim Tams are a chocolate biscuit made by Arnott’s Biscuits. They are thin and crunchy, with a centre of rich dark chocolate cream filling.

Tim Tams were invented in Arnott’s factory in Sydney in 1932. The name comes from Timor Leste (now known as East Timor), where it was common for soldiers to send their wives boxes of these biscuits during World War II.

Vegemite on Toast

Vegemite is a salty yeast extract that’s been around since the 1920s and is an Australian icon. Vegemite can be used as a spread on toast, or it can be added to other foods such as sandwiches or soups.

Vegemite has an acquired taste; some people love it while others hate it! It’s made from brewer’s yeast, salt, wheat flour and vegetable oil–so if you’re not into salty foods then this might not be for you!

Lamingtons

Lamingtons are a traditional Australian dessert, consisting of sponge cake dipped in chocolate icing and rolled in coconut flakes. They’re named after Lord Lamington, who was governor of Queensland from 1896 to 1901–and may have been the first person to serve this dessert at a social event.

Lamingtons are pretty easy to make: just cut your sponge cake into squares and dip them in melted chocolate. Roll each square in coconut flakes or shredded coconut before putting it on a plate or tray lined with wax paper so that they don’t stick together while the icing sets up (you can also use buttercream frosting instead of melted chocolate). Be sure not to over-dip your lamingtons; if you end up with too much icing on them, just scrape off some excess before rolling them in coconut!

If you want something fancier than store-bought cakes but don’t have time for homemade treats like cupcakes or muffins…

…then try making these delicious little bites yourself!

Australia has a unique food culture.

Australian cuisine is a unique blend of British, European and Pacific Islander influences. Australia was first settled by indigenous Australians around 40,000 years ago and they had a rich culture that included hunting, fishing and gathering food from the land. The British settlers who arrived in 1788 brought with them their own traditions of cooking using ingredients such as meat pies or roast beef. Today there are over 200 different nationalities living in Australia so it’s no wonder that there are so many types of cuisines available!

Conclusion

I hope this guide has inspired you to explore the world of Australian cuisine. We have so many wonderful foods that deserve to be tried, and I’m sure that once you do, you’ll be hooked!