Aussie food guide

You can learn a lot about a country from its food. It’s one of the most fun (and delicious) ways to immerse yourself in a culture. In Australia we have a huge range of foods, for a wide range of occasions. While you may have heard about the infamous ‘Shrimp on the Barbie’, there are plenty of other food options to try, whether you want to whip something up at home, have a sweet tooth, love the ease of takeaway, or enjoy dining out.

Who doesn’t love a good snack? In Australia, there’s a whole subculture of snacks that we get really passionate and nostalgic about.

The quintessential Aussie food that lives in pantries across the nation is Vegemite. There are plenty of dishes you can use Vegemite in, and though they might not all suit everyone’s palate, they’re perfect for the adventurous eater. Learning how to spread Vegemite on toast correctly is a must for anyone living in Australia.

Other nostalgic Aussie foods include Fairy Bread, where you sprinkle Hundreds & Thousands over buttered white bread, and Chocolate Crackles. These will really sate your sweet tooth, are easy to make, and are perfect companions to a glass of milk with a heaped spoonful of Milo.

Speaking of a sweet tooth, there’s a range of Aussie desserts that you can get from baked goods to biscuits and ice creams. Keep in mind, they might not be as sweet as you find in other cuisines, Australian sweets tend to be a bit more balanced in their flavouring, but they’re still delicious.

ANZAC biscuits are named for the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps when, during World War I, wives and women’s groups would send these biscuits to soldiers overseas. They’re a mix of oats, coconut and honey in one delicious golden package.

There is much debate over the origins of Pavlovas and Lamingtons, with our New Zealand neighbours claiming the invention of them. Whether or not this is true, Australia has adopted both of these desserts with such intensity that we like to claim them as our own. They’re also one of the things at the centre of the light-hearted Australia and New Zealand rivalry and is guaranteed to get a response if you bring it up with a Kiwi (New Zealander).

If you haven’t heard of Golden Gaytimes, you’d probably have trouble guessing what they are. Invented in 1959, the Gaytime is a toffee and vanilla ice cream covered in chocolate and biscuit pieces. The name had a different connotation when it was first made but has lasted till now with some infamy. Less intriguingly named, but just as delicious and created in the same era are Tim Tams. Coming in a range of different flavours, Tim Tams are great for any chocolate or biscuit lover, and they’re usually the first thing included in care packages sent to homesick Australians.

Long before UberEats, there was a strong culture of takeaway food in Australia. You would duck down to the convenience store or takeaway shop to grab a meal that was cheap and filling. There aren’t as many of these places as there once were in the cities, but you can still find plenty in suburban or regional areas. These are the perfect spot to get a meat pie, fish and chips or an Aussie burger. What’s an Aussie burger? Traditionally, a burger with a beef patty, cheese, bacon, egg, beetroot, pineapple, onion, lettuce and tomato, although there can be variations on this the idea is that it’s a burger with ‘the lot’ AKA every burger ingredient in the kitchen.

And then there is the much beloved sausage sizzle. You can find these on weekends at Bunnings, voting venues on election days (otherwise known as a ‘democracy sausage’), or community fundraisers. For a few dollars, you get a simple yet delicious sausage in a folded slice of white bread topped with barbecued onions and sauce, and often your money will go towards a local community cause.

With so many people from different countries living in Australia, it’s no surprise that there’s a rich variety of cuisines to choose from. The most classic is the Chinese restaurant, which can be found in the smallest country towns to the biggest cities. Chinese restaurants first opened in Australia in the mid-19^th century with a third of Australia’s cooks in 1890 being Chinese, and by the 1970s Chinese restaurants had spread throughout the country. Although the dishes at these restaurants differ from traditional Chinese dishes, they’re definitely still worth a try to have a taste of Australian culinary history.

Australia also boasts some of the world’s top chefs and restaurants. With chefs like Peter Gilmore, Tetsuya Wakuda and Ben Shewry who all head three- and four-hatted restaurants – the equivalent of three Michelin stars – there are plenty of fine-dining options for when you’re looking to be wowed.