Australian cuisine
Encyclopedia
Australian cuisine refers to the cuisine
of the Commonwealth of Australia
and its preceding indigenous and colonial societies. Indigenous Australians
have occupied the lands of Australia for some 40,000-60,000 years, during which time they developed a unique hunter gatherer diet, known as "bush tucker", drawn from regional Australian flora and fauna—such as the kangaroo
. Seafood
is a prominent staple food
due to Australia's long coastline. Australia was, from 1788 to 1900, a collection of British colonies
in which culinary tastes were strongly influenced by British and Irish traditions - and agricultural products such as beef cattle
, sheep and wheat
became staples in the national diet. Post-war Australia's multicultural immigration
program lead to a diversification of the cuisine of Australia, particularly under the influence of Mediterranean and South East Asian migrants.
Australian cuisine of the first decade of the 21st century shows the influence of globalisation
. Organic
and biodynamic
, kosher and halal
foods have become widely available and there has been a revival of interest in bushfood
s. British traditions persist to varying degrees in domestic cooking and the takeaway food sector, with roast dinners, the Australian meat pie
and fish and chips
remaining popular, but there are also new elements featured in these foods. To barbecue
meats in the open air is considered a treasured national tradition.
While fast food chains are abundant, Australia's metropolitan centres possess many famed haute cuisine
and nouvelle cuisine
establishments. Restaurant
s whose product includes contemporary adaptations, interpretations or fusions of exotic influences are frequently termed "Modern Australian".
Before the arrival of the First Fleet
of Europeans at Sydney in 1788, indigenous Australians survived off the often unique native flora and fauna of the Australian bush, for between 40,000 and 60,000 years. Hunting of kangaroo
, wallaby
and emu
was common. Other foods widely consumed included bogong moth
s, witchetty grub
s, lizard
s and snake
s. Bush berries, fruits, and honeys were also used.
Resource availability and dietary makeup varied from region to region - desert dwellers could be constantly on the move to find new foods, while other tribal districts allowed relatively fixed positioning. Fish were caught using technologies such as spears, hooks and traps. Food preparation techniques also varied, however a common cooking technique was for the carcass to be thrown directly on a camp fire to be roasted.
Following the pre-colonial period
, European settlers began arriving with the First Fleet
of British ships at Sydney harbour in 1788. The British settlers found some familiar game in Australia - such as swan
, goose
, pigeon and fish - but the new settlers often had difficulty adjusting to the prospect of native fauna as a staple diet. They set about establishing agricultural industries producing more familiar Western
style produce. 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.
Other than the indigenous climate and produce, Australian cuisine has been derived from the tastes of immigrant settlers to Australia and the produce they have introduced to the continent. The British colonial period established a strong base of interest in Anglo
-Celtic style recipes and methods. Subsequent waves of multicultural immigration, with a majority drawn from Asia and the Mediterranean region, and the strong, sophisticated food cultures these ethnic communities have brought with them influenced the development of Australian cuisine. Besides the culinary heritage of the Anglo-Celtic majority, the cuisines of China
, Germany
, Greece, Italy
, Lebanon
, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam are not only popular, but have also left the greatest impact on Modern Australian cuisine. In recent times there are also substantial influences and culinary trends from American cuisine
, French cuisine
, Indian cuisine
, Japanese cuisine
, Moroccan cuisine and Spanish cuisine
.
Fresh produce is readily available and thus used extensively, and the trend (urged by long-term government health initiatives) is towards low-salt, low-fat healthy cookery incorporating lean meat and lightly cooked, colourful, steamed or stir-fried vegetables. With most of the Australian population residing in coastal areas, fish and seafood is popular. In the temperate regions of Australia vegetables are traditionally eaten seasonally, especially in regional areas, although in urban areas there is large scale importation of fresh produce sourced from around the world by supermarkets and wholesalers for grocery stores, to meet demands for year-round availability. During Spring: Artichoke, Asparagus, Beanshoots, Beetroot, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Cucumber, Leek, Lettuce, Mushrooms, Peas, Rhubarb, and Spinach. During Summer: Capsicum, Cucumber, Eggplant, Squash, Tomato, Zucchini.
Australia's climate makes barbecue
s commonplace. Barbecue stalls selling sausage
s and fried onion
on white bread
with tomato or barbecue sauce
are common in fund raising for schools or community groups. These stalls are called "Sausage Sizzles".
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.
The Australian Wine
Industry is the fourth 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. There is also a significant domestic market for Australian wines, with Australians consuming nearly 500 million litres of wine per year in the early 21st Century. Wine is produced in every state, with more than 60 designated wine regions totaling 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 Valley
and Barossa Valley
and among the best known wine producers are Penfolds
, Rosemount Estate
, Wynns Coonawarra Estate and Lindeman's.
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. Fosters is not however the biggest seller on the local market, with alternatives including Victoria Bitter
outselling the popular export.
Australia has a distinct coffee culture and is often cited as being one of the most developed and vibrant in the world. The development of the coffee industry has grown not from coffee chains but through independent cafés born out of early Greek and Italian immigration
since the early 20th century.
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 Australian invented flat white
was developed sometime in the latter half of the 20th century. It has become extremely popular across the country and is one of the most popular espresso beverages. The flat white's popularity has also spread to New Zealand
and is beginning to take hold in the United Kingdom
. The flat white is a Cafe Latte with no foam.
In the 1980s, Italy’s Lavazza
coffee began its export business in Australia, a whole decade
before expanding into the UK and US markets. Since this time espresso
based coffees have remained the most popular form of coffee amongst Australians
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. One reason for this is that unlike in the United States and Asia, Australia already had a developed coffee culture for many decades before their introduction to the market.
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Australia's 11 million square kilometre fishing zone is the third largest in the world and allows for bountiful access to seafood
which significantly influences Australian cuisine. Clean ocean environments around Australia produce high quality seafoods for domestic consumption and export. lobster
, prawn
, tuna
, salmon
and abalone
are the main ocean species harvested commercially, while aquaculture produces more than 60 species for consumption including edible oyster
s, salmonoids, southern bluefin tuna
, mussel
, prawn
, barramundi
, yellowtail kingfish, and freshwater finifish
. While inland river and lake systems are relatively sparse, they nevertheless provide some unique fresh water game fish and crustacea suitable for dining. Fishing and aquaculture
constitute Australia's fifth most valuable agricultural industry after wool
, beef
, wheat
and dairy
. Approximately 600 varieties of marine and freshwater seafood species are caught and sold in Australia for both local and overseas consumption.
Australian cuisine features Australian seafood such as: Southern bluefin tuna
, King George whiting
, Moreton Bay bug
, Mud Crab
, Jew Fish
, Dhufish (Western Australia) and Yabby. Australia is one of the largest producers of abalone
and rock lobster
. Fish and chips
is a popular take-away food
that originated in the United Kingdom
and which remains popular in Australia. It generally consists of deep-fried fish
(often flake
rather than cod in Australia) batter
with deep-fried chipped (slab-cut) potato
es. Flathead
fish is also popular sport and table fish found in all parts of Australia. Barramundi
is an iconic sporting fish found in Northern Australian river systems. Highly prized by anglers for their good fighting ability, it is a common eating dish in seafood restaurants.
Most Australians live close to the coast and have ready access to high quality seafood restaurants and local fish and chip shops. Sydney in particular is noted for its harbourside seafood restaurants, including the Doyles chain in Sydney, notably Doyles on the Beach at Watson's Bay
; and Tetsuya's
Restaurant owned by chef Tetsuya Wakuda
which bases its menu on Australian, Japanese and classic French cuisine, and makes use of Australian ingredients including Tasmanian Ocean Trout.
There are many species of Australian native fruits, such as Quandong
(native peach), Wattleseed
, Muntries
/Munthari berry, Illawarra plums, Riberry, Native Raspberries and lilli pilli. These usually fall under the category of "bush tucker", (bush foods). Australia also has large fruit growing regions. The Granny Smith
variety of apple
s first originated in Sydney
, Australia in 1868.
Regional Australian cuisines commonly use locally grown vegetables. In the Southern states of Victoria
and South Australia
, in particular the Barossa Valley
, wines and food reflects the region's traditions and heritage. Barossa's early settlers brought their food traditions with them, instilling the region's cuisine with a strong German, as well as Jobey influence. Preserving, smoking and baking are techniques used in this regional cuisine. The area is famous for its vineyards and the abundance of fresh produce including fruit, nuts, vegetables and citrus. Dishes are made with poultry, livestock, yabbies and hare, some examples are: smoked Mettwurst, Lachsschinken and Bratwurst sausages. Traditional breads and yeasted cakes like Bienenstich and Streuselkuchen, pickled onions and gherkins, olives and olive oil, egg noodles, and a variety of chutneys, pickles and preserves, as well as dried fruits, Barossa cheese and quince paste - are all featured in the cuisine.
The breakfast frequently resembles breakfast
in many Western countries, but may include ethnic influences. In warmer areas breakfast is generally light. In colder seasons and regions porridge or a full English breakfast
may be consumed. The light breakfast commonly consists of breakfast cereal
, toast
, fruit
. Beverages taken at breakfast include tea, coffee, flavoured milk
, or juice
. A popular breakfast food in Australia is Vegemite
, a spread similar to Marmite
.
A standard cafe or restaurant in Australia not adhering to any particular ethnic cuisine might offer sandwiches and focaccia
s, a range of pasta, risotto, pizza, salad, curry dishes, steak, chicken or other meat-based dishes, schnitzels, fish, cakes or other desserts, red and white wine, soft drink, beer, and coffee.
). Other unique or iconic national foods include Macadamia nuts; Violet Crumble
, a honeycomb chocolate bar; Cherry Ripe
; Jaffas
, chocolate with an orange
-flavoured confectionery
shell; the Chiko Roll
, a deep-fried savoury roll similar to a spring roll
; and the Dim sim
, a Chinese-inspired dumpling. Other popular Australian foods include Tim Tam
s, a chocolate biscuit; Musk stick
s; Fairy bread
; Lamington
s; the Boston bun
; the Vanilla slice; and the commercial breakfast cereal Weet-Bix
.
The Australian burger is made with a beef patty, Worcestershire sauce, pickled beets, lettuce and salad items, bacon and a fried egg on top. Pineapple slices and cheese are sometimes but not always used.
ANZAC biscuit
s and the pavlova
are considered by some to be Australian national foods, although the oldest known named recipe for pavlova is from New Zealand
. It has been debated that the current Pavlova is an improvement on the recipe of a meringue cake found in a New Zealand
magazine.
The meat pie is a well known take away
item. Kangaroo meat is readily available in Australia although it is not a commonly eaten meat. It is available in various cuts and sausages.
Damper
is a traditional Australian soda bread prepared by swagmen, drovers and other travellers. It consists of a wheat flour based bread, traditionally baked in the coals of a campfire.
Similar to other Western nations, Australia has a wide variety of takeaway food available from other cultures. The meat pie and sausage roll
s are take-away food items, and there are also gourmet pies. Found in some takeaway shops is the 'Australian Hamburger'. This is mainly distinguished from other hamburgers by the range of fillings available. An order with all fillings is known as "The Lot" or "The Works". The fillings include lettuce, tomato, cheese, pickled beetroot, fried onion, bacon and a fried egg. American fast food
outlets are common, and there are also Australian fast food chains and individual outlets selling pizza, charcoal or fried
chicken, kebab
s, gyros, and fish and chip shops.
Doner kebab—usually called just kebabs—are very popular owing to immigration from Greece, Turkey
, the former Yugoslavia
and Lebanon
. Shops or vans
selling kebab
s are colloquially referred to as "Kebaberies" and "Kebabavans" in some parts of Australia. In Melbourne, they are called souvlaki and in the South Australia they are called yiros. Kebab meat can also be found as a pizza topping in the western suburbs of Sydney and Melbourne, as a "beef pizza" or "Turkish pizza". Doner kebabs in Sydney and Melbourne can be served with all the ingredients placed onto or next to the pita bread on a plate, or more commonly, with the ingredients rolled into the pita bread in the form of a "wrap". The "late night kebab" has become an icon of urban food culture in Australia, with kebabs often purchased and consumed following a night of drinking. Kebabs are considered suitable following consumption of alcohol due their high content of lipids (fats) which aids in metabolism of alcohol
.
A very wide variety of Chinese, Indian, Vietnamese and various Asian restaurants provide eat-in and take-away services, and are very popular in the cities. With the high levels of immigration from the Middle East, South and South East Asia, Korea, China and other countries from all over the world to Australia, many authentic and high-quality restaurants are run by first and second generation immigrants from these areas. Chinese cuisine ranges from a long established Australian-Chinese style based on the cooking of the Chinese community established during the gold rushes of the late 19th century, to quite different cuisine more recently imported from different regions of China. Asian bakery
stores are also a source of fast food such as savoury rolls. Examples of these include cheese and bacon, cheese and pineapple, which are toppings over a thick piece of bread, and the pork/chicken roll (Banh Mi Thit
), which is a crusty baguette
, cut with sliced pork or chicken, carrot, spring onion, soy sauce, pâté, coriander, cucumber and often chili
.
Cuisine
Cuisine is a characteristic style of cooking practices and traditions, often associated with a specific culture. Cuisines are often named after the geographic areas or regions that they originate from...
of the Commonwealth of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and its preceding indigenous and colonial societies. Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
have occupied the lands of Australia for some 40,000-60,000 years, during which time they developed a unique hunter gatherer diet, known as "bush tucker", drawn from regional Australian flora and fauna—such as the kangaroo
Kangaroo
A kangaroo is a marsupial from the family Macropodidae . In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, especially those of the genus Macropus, Red Kangaroo, Antilopine Kangaroo, Eastern Grey Kangaroo and Western Grey Kangaroo. Kangaroos are endemic to the country...
. Seafood
Seafood
Seafood is any form of marine life regarded as food by humans. Seafoods include fish, molluscs , crustaceans , echinoderms . Edible sea plants, such as some seaweeds and microalgae, are also seafood, and are widely eaten around the world, especially in Asia...
is a prominent staple food
Staple food
A staple food is one that is eaten regularly and in such quantities that it constitutes a dominant portion of a diet, and that supplies a high proportion of energy and nutrient needs. Most people live on a diet based on one or more staples...
due to Australia's long coastline. Australia was, from 1788 to 1900, a collection of British colonies
History of Australia
The History of Australia refers to the history of the area and people of Commonwealth of Australia and its preceding Indigenous and colonial societies. Aboriginal Australians are believed to have first arrived on the Australian mainland by boat from the Indonesian archipelago between 40,000 to...
in which culinary tastes were strongly influenced by British and Irish traditions - and agricultural products such as beef cattle
Beef cattle
Beef cattle are cattle raised for meat production . The meat of cattle is known as beef. When raised in a feedlot cattle are known as feeder cattle. Many such feeder cattle are born in cow-calf operations specifically designed to produce beef calves...
, sheep and wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
became staples in the national diet. Post-war Australia's multicultural immigration
Immigration to Australia
Immigration to Australia is estimated to have begun around 51,000 years ago when the ancestors of Australian Aborigines arrived on the continent via the islands of the Malay Archipelago and New Guinea. Europeans first landed in the 17th and 18th Centuries, but colonisation only started in 1788. The...
program lead to a diversification of the cuisine of Australia, particularly under the influence of Mediterranean and South East Asian migrants.
Australian cuisine of the first decade of the 21st century shows the influence of globalisation
Globalization
Globalization refers to the increasingly global relationships of culture, people and economic activity. Most often, it refers to economics: the global distribution of the production of goods and services, through reduction of barriers to international trade such as tariffs, export fees, and import...
. Organic
Organic food
Organic foods are foods that are produced using methods that do not involve modern synthetic inputs such as synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilizers, do not contain genetically modified organisms, and are not processed using irradiation, industrial solvents, or chemical food additives.For the...
and biodynamic
Biodynamic agriculture
Biodynamic agriculture is a method of organic farming that emphasizes the holistic development and interrelationships of the soil, plants and animals as a self-sustaining system. Biodynamic farming has much in common with other organic approaches, such as emphasizing the use of manures and composts...
, kosher and halal
Halal
Halal is a term designating any object or an action which is permissible to use or engage in, according to Islamic law. The term is used to designate food seen as permissible according to Islamic law...
foods have become widely available and there has been a revival of interest in bushfood
Bushfood
Bushfood traditionally relates to any food native to Australia and used as sustenance by the original inhabitants, the Australian Aborigines, but it is a reference to any native fauna/flora that is used for culinary and/or medicinal purposes regardless of which continent or culture it originates...
s. British traditions persist to varying degrees in domestic cooking and the takeaway food sector, with roast dinners, the Australian meat pie
Australian meat pie
An Australian or New Zealand meat pie is a hand-sized meat pie containing largely diced or minced meat and gravy, sometimes with onion, mushrooms, or cheese and often consumed as a takeaway food snack. The pie itself is similar to the United Kingdom's steak pie.It is considered iconic in Australia...
and fish and chips
Fish and chips
Fish and chips is a popular take-away food in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Canada...
remaining popular, but there are also new elements featured in these foods. To barbecue
Barbecue
Barbecue or barbeque , used chiefly in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia is a method and apparatus for cooking meat, poultry and occasionally fish with the heat and hot smoke of a fire, smoking wood, or hot coals of...
meats in the open air is considered a treasured national tradition.
While fast food chains are abundant, Australia's metropolitan centres possess many famed haute cuisine
Haute cuisine
Haute cuisine or grande cuisine was characterised by French cuisine in elaborate preparations and presentations served in small and numerous courses that were produced by large and hierarchical staffs at the grand restaurants and hotels of Europe.The 17th century chef and writer La Varenne...
and nouvelle cuisine
Nouvelle Cuisine
Nouvelle cuisine is an approach to cooking and food presentation used in French cuisine. By contrast with cuisine classique, an older form of French haute cuisine, nouvelle cuisine is characterized by lighter, more delicate dishes and an increased emphasis on presentation.-History:The term...
establishments. Restaurant
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
s whose product includes contemporary adaptations, interpretations or fusions of exotic influences are frequently termed "Modern Australian".
Indigenous Australian bush tucker
First Fleet
The First Fleet is the name given to the eleven ships which sailed from Great Britain on 13 May 1787 with about 1,487 people, including 778 convicts , to establish the first European colony in Australia, in the region which Captain Cook had named New South Wales. The fleet was led by Captain ...
of Europeans at Sydney in 1788, indigenous Australians survived off the often unique native flora and fauna of the Australian bush, for between 40,000 and 60,000 years. Hunting of kangaroo
Kangaroo
A kangaroo is a marsupial from the family Macropodidae . In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, especially those of the genus Macropus, Red Kangaroo, Antilopine Kangaroo, Eastern Grey Kangaroo and Western Grey Kangaroo. Kangaroos are endemic to the country...
, wallaby
Wallaby
A wallaby is any of about thirty species of macropod . It is an informal designation generally used for any macropod that is smaller than a kangaroo or wallaroo that has not been given some other name.-Overview:...
and emu
Emu
The Emu Dromaius novaehollandiae) is the largest bird native to Australia and the only extant member of the genus Dromaius. It is the second-largest extant bird in the world by height, after its ratite relative, the ostrich. There are three subspecies of Emus in Australia...
was common. Other foods widely consumed included bogong moth
Bogong moth
The Bogong moth is a temperate species of night-flying moth notable for appearing in large numbers around major public buildings in Canberra, the capital city of Australia, during spring as it migrates to the High Plains. The moth's name 'Bogong' is the same as the mountain ranges on the High...
s, witchetty grub
Witchetty grub
The witchetty grub is a term used in Australia for the large, white, wood-eating larvae of several moths...
s, lizard
Lizard
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 3800 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains...
s and snake
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
s. Bush berries, fruits, and honeys were also used.
Resource availability and dietary makeup varied from region to region - desert dwellers could be constantly on the move to find new foods, while other tribal districts allowed relatively fixed positioning. Fish were caught using technologies such as spears, hooks and traps. Food preparation techniques also varied, however a common cooking technique was for the carcass to be thrown directly on a camp fire to be roasted.
Development of modern Australian cuisine
Prehistory of Australia
The prehistory of Australia is the period between the first human habitation of the Australian continent and the first definitive sighting of Australia by Europeans in 1606, which may be taken as the beginning of the recent history of Australia...
, European settlers began arriving with the First Fleet
First Fleet
The First Fleet is the name given to the eleven ships which sailed from Great Britain on 13 May 1787 with about 1,487 people, including 778 convicts , to establish the first European colony in Australia, in the region which Captain Cook had named New South Wales. The fleet was led by Captain ...
of British ships at Sydney harbour in 1788. The British settlers found some familiar game in Australia - such as swan
Swan
Swans, genus Cygnus, are birds of the family Anatidae, which also includes geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini. Sometimes, they are considered a distinct subfamily, Cygninae...
, goose
Goose
The word goose is the English name for a group of waterfowl, belonging to the family Anatidae. This family also includes swans, most of which are larger than true geese, and ducks, which are smaller....
, pigeon and fish - but the new settlers often had difficulty adjusting to the prospect of native fauna as a staple diet. They set about establishing agricultural industries producing more familiar Western
Western culture
Western culture, sometimes equated with Western civilization or European civilization, refers to cultures of European origin and is used very broadly to refer to a heritage of social norms, ethical values, traditional customs, religious beliefs, political systems, and specific artifacts and...
style produce. 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
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
and New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
became Australia's main beef cattle
Beef cattle
Beef cattle are cattle raised for meat production . The meat of cattle is known as beef. When raised in a feedlot cattle are known as feeder cattle. Many such feeder cattle are born in cow-calf operations specifically designed to produce beef calves...
producers, while dairy cattle
Dairy cattle
Dairy cattle are cattle cows bred for the ability to produce large quantities of milk, from which dairy products are made. Dairy cows generally are of the species Bos taurus....
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.
Anglo
Anglo is a prefix indicating a relation to the Angles, England or the English people, as in the terms Anglo-Saxon, Anglo-American, Anglo-Celtic, Anglo-African and Anglo-Indian. It is often used alone, somewhat loosely, to refer to people of British Isles descent in The Americas, Australia and...
-Celtic style recipes and methods. Subsequent waves of multicultural immigration, with a majority drawn from Asia and the Mediterranean region, and the strong, sophisticated food cultures these ethnic communities have brought with them influenced the development of Australian cuisine. Besides the culinary heritage of the Anglo-Celtic majority, the cuisines of China
Chinese cuisine
Chinese cuisine is any of several styles originating in the regions of China, some of which have become highly popular in other parts of the world – from Asia to the Americas, Australia, Western Europe and Southern Africa...
, Germany
German cuisine
German cuisine is a style of cooking derived from the nation of Germany. It has evolved as a national cuisine through centuries of social and political change with variations from region to region. The southern regions of Germany, including Bavaria and neighbouring Swabia, share many dishes....
, Greece, Italy
Italian cuisine
Italian cuisine has developed through centuries of social and political changes, with roots as far back as the 4th century BCE. Italian cuisine in itself takes heavy influences, including Etruscan, ancient Greek, ancient Roman, Byzantine, Jewish and Arab cuisines...
, Lebanon
Lebanese cuisine
Lebanese cuisine includes an abundance of starches, fruits, vegetables, fresh fish and seafood; animal fats are consumed sparingly. Poultry is eaten more often than red meat, and when red meat is eaten it is usually lamb on the coast and goat meat in the mountain regions...
, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam are not only popular, but have also left the greatest impact on Modern Australian cuisine. In recent times there are also substantial influences and culinary trends from American cuisine
American cuisine
American cuisine is a style of food preparation originating in the United States of America.American cuisine may also refer to:* American Cuisine , a 1998 French film...
, French cuisine
French cuisine
French cuisine is a style of food preparation originating from France that has developed from centuries of social change. In the Middle Ages, Guillaume Tirel , a court chef, authored Le Viandier, one of the earliest recipe collections of Medieval France...
, Indian cuisine
Indian cuisine
Indian cuisine consists of thousands of regional cuisines which date back thousands of years. The dishes of India are characterised by the extensive use of various Indian spices, herbs, vegetables and fruit. Indian cuisine is also known for the widespread practice of vegetarianism in Indian society...
, Japanese cuisine
Japanese cuisine
Japanese cuisine has developed over the centuries as a result of many political and social changes throughout Japan. The cuisine eventually changed with the advent of the Medieval age which ushered in a shedding of elitism with the age of shogun rule...
, Moroccan cuisine and Spanish cuisine
Spanish cuisine
Spanish cuisine consists of a variety of dishes, which stem from differences in geography, culture and climate. It is heavily influenced by seafood available from the waters that surround the country, and reflects the country's deep maritime roots...
.
Fresh produce is readily available and thus used extensively, and the trend (urged by long-term government health initiatives) is towards low-salt, low-fat healthy cookery incorporating lean meat and lightly cooked, colourful, steamed or stir-fried vegetables. With most of the Australian population residing in coastal areas, fish and seafood is popular. In the temperate regions of Australia vegetables are traditionally eaten seasonally, especially in regional areas, although in urban areas there is large scale importation of fresh produce sourced from around the world by supermarkets and wholesalers for grocery stores, to meet demands for year-round availability. During Spring: Artichoke, Asparagus, Beanshoots, Beetroot, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Cucumber, Leek, Lettuce, Mushrooms, Peas, Rhubarb, and Spinach. During Summer: Capsicum, Cucumber, Eggplant, Squash, Tomato, Zucchini.
Australia's climate makes barbecue
Barbecue
Barbecue or barbeque , used chiefly in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia is a method and apparatus for cooking meat, poultry and occasionally fish with the heat and hot smoke of a fire, smoking wood, or hot coals of...
s commonplace. Barbecue stalls selling sausage
Sausage
A sausage is a food usually made from ground meat , mixed with salt, herbs, and other spices, although vegetarian sausages are available. The word sausage is derived from Old French saussiche, from the Latin word salsus, meaning salted.Typically, a sausage is formed in a casing traditionally made...
s and fried onion
Onion
The onion , also known as the bulb onion, common onion and garden onion, is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium. The genus Allium also contains a number of other species variously referred to as onions and cultivated for food, such as the Japanese bunching onion The onion...
on white bread
White bread
White bread is made from wheat flour from which the bran and the germ have been removed through a process known as milling. Milling gives white flour a longer shelf life by removing the bran which contains oil, allowing products made with it, like white bread, the ability to survive storage and...
with tomato or barbecue sauce
Barbecue sauce
Barbecue sauce is a flavoring sauce or condiment ranging from watery to very thick consistency. As the name implies, it was created as an accompaniment to barbecued foods. While it can be applied to any food, it usually tops meat after cooking or during barbecuing, grilling, or baking...
are common in fund raising for schools or community groups. These stalls are called "Sausage Sizzles".
Beverages
Billy tea is the drink prepared by the ill-fated SwagmanSwagman
A swagman is an old Australian and New Zealand term describing an underclass of transient temporary workers, who travelled by foot from farm to farm carrying the traditional swag...
in the popular Australian folksong Waltzing Matilda
Waltzing Matilda
"Waltzing Matilda" is Australia's most widely known bush ballad. A country folk song, the song has been referred to as "the unofficial national anthem of Australia"....
. 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.
Australian wine
The Australian Wine Industry is the fourth 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...
Industry is the fourth 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. There is also a significant domestic market for Australian wines, with Australians consuming nearly 500 million litres of wine per year in the early 21st Century. Wine is produced in every state, with more than 60 designated wine regions totaling approximately 160,000 hectares. Australia’s wine regions are mainly in the southern, cooler parts of the country, in South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Victoria, and Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
. Amongst the most famous wine districts are the Hunter Valley
Hunter Valley
The Hunter Region, more commonly known as the Hunter Valley, is a region of New South Wales, Australia, extending from approximately to north of Sydney with an approximate population of 645,395 people. Most of the population of the Hunter Region lives within of the coast, with 55% of the entire...
and Barossa Valley
Barossa Valley
The Barossa Valley is a major wine-producing region and tourist destination of South Australia, located 60 km northeast of Adelaide. It is the valley formed by the North Para River, and the Barossa Valley Way is the main road through the valley, connecting the main towns on the valley floor of...
and among the best known wine producers are Penfolds
Penfolds
Penfolds is an Australian wine producer, founded in 1844 by Christopher Rawson Penfold, an English physician who emigrated to Australia, and his wife, Mary Penfold...
, Rosemount Estate
Rosemount (wine)
Rosemount is an Australian winery based in Hunter Valley and South Australia, owned by Treasury Wine Estates. At the turn of the 21st century, Rosemount was the second best selling Australian wine brand in the US.-History:...
, Wynns Coonawarra Estate and Lindeman's.
Beer in Australia has been popular since colonial times. James Squire
James Squire
James Squire , a convict transported to Australia, is credited with the first successful cultivation of hops in Australia at the turn of the 19th century, and is also considered to have founded Australia's first commercial brewery in 1798, though John Boston appears to have opened a brewery making...
is considered to have founded Australia's first commercial brewery in 1798 and the Cascade Brewery
Cascade Brewery
Cascade Brewery is the oldest continually operating brewery in Australia. It is based in South Hobart, Tasmania. The Cascade estate was founded beside the clean water of the Hobart Rivulet in 1824 by Peter Degraves, an entrepreneur who emigrated from England...
in Hobart, Tasmania, has been operating since the early 19th century. Since the 1970s, Australian beers have become increasingly popular globally - with Fosters
Foster's Lager
Foster's Lager is an internationally distributed Australian brand of 5.0% abv pale lager, It is a product of Foster's Group brewed under licence in several countries, including the U.S. and Russia...
lager being an iconic export brand. Fosters is not however the biggest seller on the local market, with alternatives including Victoria Bitter
Victoria Bitter
Victoria Bitter is one of the many iconic beers manufactured in the Australian state of Victoria. VB currently maintains the highest market share of all beer sold in Australia, both on tap and packaged...
outselling the popular export.
Australia has a distinct coffee culture and is often cited as being one of the most developed and vibrant in the world. The development of the coffee industry has grown not from coffee chains but through independent cafés born out of early Greek and Italian immigration
Italian Australians
-Characteristics :The 2006 Census counted 199,124 persons who were born in Italy. However, 852,417 persons identified themselves as having Italian ancestry, either alone or in combination with another ancestry . Italian is the fifth most identified ancestry in Australia behind 'Australian',...
since the early 20th century.
The iconic Greek cafés of Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
and Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
were the first to introduce locally roasted coffees in 1910. In 1952, the first espresso
Espresso
Espresso is a concentrated beverage brewed by forcing a small amount of nearly boiling water under pressure through finely ground coffee. Espresso is widely known throughout the world....
machines began to appear in Australia and a plethora of fine Italian coffee houses were emerging in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
and Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
.
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
Vittoria Coffee
Vittoria Coffee is an Australian manufacturer of coffee products. Founded in Sydney in 1947, the business was established as an importer of Continental European foods....
which remains the country's largest coffee maker and distributor.
Flat White
A flat white is a coffee beverage originating from Australia and New Zealand. It is prepared by pouring microfoam over a single shot or double shot of espresso...
was developed sometime in the latter half of the 20th century. It has become extremely popular across the country and is one of the most popular espresso beverages. The flat white's popularity has also spread to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and is beginning to take hold in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The flat white is a Cafe Latte with no foam.
In the 1980s, Italy’s Lavazza
Lavazza
Luigi Lavazza S.p.A. is an Italian manufacturer of coffee products. Founded in Turin in 1895 by Luigi Lavazza, it was initially run from a small grocery store at Via San Tommaso 10. The business of Lavazza S.p.A. is currently administered by the third and fourth generation of the Lavazza family.-...
coffee began its export business in Australia, a whole decade
before expanding into the UK and US markets. Since this time espresso
Espresso
Espresso is a concentrated beverage brewed by forcing a small amount of nearly boiling water under pressure through finely ground coffee. Espresso is widely known throughout the world....
based coffees have remained the most popular form of coffee amongst Australians
Although Australians often drink tea at home, it has been found that in out-of-home establishments where tea
Tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
and coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
are sold together, tea accounted for only 2.5% of total sales. To this day, coffee chains such as Starbucks
Starbucks
Starbucks Corporation is an international coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington. Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 17,009 stores in 55 countries, including over 11,000 in the United States, over 1,000 in Canada, over 700 in the United Kingdom, and...
have very little market share in Australia. One reason for this is that unlike in the United States and Asia, Australia already had a developed coffee culture for many decades before their introduction to the market.
Fish and seafood
Seafood
Seafood is any form of marine life regarded as food by humans. Seafoods include fish, molluscs , crustaceans , echinoderms . Edible sea plants, such as some seaweeds and microalgae, are also seafood, and are widely eaten around the world, especially in Asia...
which significantly influences Australian cuisine. Clean ocean environments around Australia produce high quality seafoods for domestic consumption and export. lobster
Lobster
Clawed lobsters comprise a family of large marine crustaceans. Highly prized as seafood, lobsters are economically important, and are often one of the most profitable commodities in coastal areas they populate.Though several groups of crustaceans are known as lobsters, the clawed lobsters are most...
, prawn
Prawn
Prawns are decapod crustaceans of the sub-order Dendrobranchiata. There are 540 extant species, in seven families, and a fossil record extending back to the Devonian...
, tuna
Tuna
Tuna is a salt water fish from the family Scombridae, mostly in the genus Thunnus. Tuna are fast swimmers, and some species are capable of speeds of . Unlike most fish, which have white flesh, the muscle tissue of tuna ranges from pink to dark red. The red coloration derives from myoglobin, an...
, salmon
Salmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
and abalone
Abalone
Abalone , from aulón, are small to very large-sized edible sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Haliotidae and the genus Haliotis...
are the main ocean species harvested commercially, while aquaculture produces more than 60 species for consumption including edible oyster
Oyster
The word oyster is used as a common name for a number of distinct groups of bivalve molluscs which live in marine or brackish habitats. The valves are highly calcified....
s, salmonoids, southern bluefin tuna
Southern bluefin tuna
The southern bluefin tuna, Thunnus maccoyii, is a tuna of the family Scombridae found in open southern hemisphere waters of all the world's oceans mainly between 30°S and 50°S, to nearly 60°S...
, mussel
Mussel
The common name mussel is used for members of several families of clams or bivalvia mollusca, from saltwater and freshwater habitats. These groups have in common a shell whose outline is elongated and asymmetrical compared with other edible clams, which are often more or less rounded or oval.The...
, prawn
Prawn
Prawns are decapod crustaceans of the sub-order Dendrobranchiata. There are 540 extant species, in seven families, and a fossil record extending back to the Devonian...
, barramundi
Barramundi
The Barramundi , also known as Asian Seabass, is a species of catadromous fish in family Latidae of order Perciformes. The native species is widely distributed in the Indo-West Pacific region from the Persian Gulf, through Southeast Asia to Papua New Guinea and Northern Australia. Known in Thai...
, yellowtail kingfish, and freshwater finifish
Freshwater fish of Australia
Freshwater fish of Australia are limited to approximately 280 species, even though the Australian continent is larger than the contiguous United States.A large proportion of these species are endemic to Australia...
. While inland river and lake systems are relatively sparse, they nevertheless provide some unique fresh water game fish and crustacea suitable for dining. Fishing and aquaculture
Aquaculture
Aquaculture, also known as aquafarming, is the farming of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, molluscs and aquatic plants. Aquaculture involves cultivating freshwater and saltwater populations under controlled conditions, and can be contrasted with commercial fishing, which is the...
constitute Australia's fifth most valuable agricultural industry after wool
Wool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....
, beef
Beef
Beef is the culinary name for meat from bovines, especially domestic cattle. Beef can be harvested from cows, bulls, heifers or steers. It is one of the principal meats used in the cuisine of the Middle East , Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Europe and the United States, and is also important in...
, wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
and dairy
Dairy
A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting of animal milk—mostly from cows or goats, but also from buffalo, sheep, horses or camels —for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on a dedicated dairy farm or section of a multi-purpose farm that is concerned...
. Approximately 600 varieties of marine and freshwater seafood species are caught and sold in Australia for both local and overseas consumption.
Southern bluefin tuna
The southern bluefin tuna, Thunnus maccoyii, is a tuna of the family Scombridae found in open southern hemisphere waters of all the world's oceans mainly between 30°S and 50°S, to nearly 60°S...
, King George whiting
King George whiting
The King George whiting, Sillaginodes punctatus , is a coastal marine fish of the smelt-whitings family Sillaginidae. The King George whiting is endemic to Australia, inhabiting the south coast of the country from Jurien Bay, Western Australia to Botany Bay, New South Wales in the east...
, Moreton Bay bug
Moreton Bay bug
Thenus orientalis is a species of slipper lobster from the Indian and Pacific oceans.T. orientalis is known by a number of common names. The United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization prefers the name flathead lobster, while the official Australian name is Bay lobster...
, Mud Crab
Scylla serrata
Scylla serrata is an economically important crab species found in the estuaries and mangroves of Africa, Australia and Asia. In their most common form, the shell colour varies from a deep, mottled green to very dark brown...
, Jew Fish
Glaucosoma hebraicum
Glaucosoma hebraicum is a species of fish, informally known as the West Australian dhufish. The local name for the species is jewfish or pearl perch, and regarded as good eating. The distribution is from Shark Bay, Western Australia to the Archipelago of the Recherche.The pearlescent, silver-grey,...
, Dhufish (Western Australia) and Yabby. Australia is one of the largest producers of abalone
Abalone
Abalone , from aulón, are small to very large-sized edible sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Haliotidae and the genus Haliotis...
and rock lobster
Rock lobster
Jasus edwardsii, the southern rock lobster, red rock lobster, or spiny rock lobster, is a species of spiny lobster found throughout coastal waters of southern Australia and New Zealand including the Chatham Islands. This species is commonly called crayfish or crays in New Zealand and in Māori...
. Fish and chips
Fish and chips
Fish and chips is a popular take-away food in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Canada...
is a popular take-away food
Take-out
Take-out or takeout , carry-out , take-away , parcel , or tapau , is food purchased at a...
that originated in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and which remains popular in Australia. It generally consists of deep-fried fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
(often flake
Flake (fish)
Flake is a term used in Australia to indicate the flesh of any of several species of small shark, particularly Gummy shark. The term probably arose in the late 1920s when the large-scale commercial shark fishery off the coast of Victoria was established. Until that time, shark was generally an...
rather than cod in Australia) batter
Batter (cooking)
Batter is a semi-liquid mixture of one or more flours combined with liquids such as water, milk or eggs used to prepare various foods. Often a leavening agent such as baking powder is included to aerate and fluff up the batter as it cooks, or the mixture may be naturally fermented for this purpose...
with deep-fried chipped (slab-cut) potato
Potato
The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family . The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well as the edible tuber. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species...
es. Flathead
Flathead (fish)
A flathead is one of a number of small to medium fish species with notably flat heads, distributed in membership across various genera of the family Platycephalidae. Many species are found in the Indo-Pacific, especially most parts of Australia where they are popular sport and table fish...
fish is also popular sport and table fish found in all parts of Australia. Barramundi
Barramundi
The Barramundi , also known as Asian Seabass, is a species of catadromous fish in family Latidae of order Perciformes. The native species is widely distributed in the Indo-West Pacific region from the Persian Gulf, through Southeast Asia to Papua New Guinea and Northern Australia. Known in Thai...
is an iconic sporting fish found in Northern Australian river systems. Highly prized by anglers for their good fighting ability, it is a common eating dish in seafood restaurants.
Most Australians live close to the coast and have ready access to high quality seafood restaurants and local fish and chip shops. Sydney in particular is noted for its harbourside seafood restaurants, including the Doyles chain in Sydney, notably Doyles on the Beach at Watson's Bay
Watsons Bay, New South Wales
Watsons Bay is a harbourside, eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Watsons Bay is located 11 km north-east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Woollahra....
; and Tetsuya's
Tetsuya's
Tetsuya's is a restaurant in Sydney, Australia, owned by Tetsuya Wakuda. Tetsuya's cuisine is based on Australian, Japanese cuisine and classic French cuisine, and makes use of Australian ingredients including Tasmanian Ocean Trout, which forms its signature dish.-Location:Tetsuya's is housed in...
Restaurant owned by chef Tetsuya Wakuda
Tetsuya Wakuda
is a Japanese-born Australian chef based in Sydney, Australia. He is widely recognised as one of Australia’s most original, creative and successful culinary talents. His eponymous restaurant, Tetsuya's, is celebrated both nationally and internationally...
which bases its menu on Australian, Japanese and classic French cuisine, and makes use of Australian ingredients including Tasmanian Ocean Trout.
Fruit
There are many species of Australian native fruits, such as Quandong
Quandong
Quandong, quandang or quondong, is a common name for the species Santalum acuminatum , especially its edible fruit, but may also refer to* Aceratium concinnum...
(native peach), Wattleseed
Wattleseed
Wattleseed is a term used to describe the edible seeds from around 120 species of Australian Acacia thatwere traditionally used as food by Australian Aborigines and they were eaten either green or dried to make a type of bush bread.Acacia seed flour has recently gained popularity in Australia...
, Muntries
Muntries
Muntries - also known as emu apples, native cranberries, munthari, muntaberry or monterry - are low-growing plants found along the southern coast of Australia. The berries produced by these plants are about 1 cm in diameter, green with a tinge of red at maturity and have a flavour of a spicy apple...
/Munthari berry, Illawarra plums, Riberry, Native Raspberries and lilli pilli. These usually fall under the category of "bush tucker", (bush foods). Australia also has large fruit growing regions. The Granny Smith
Granny Smith
The Granny Ramsey Smith green apple is a tip-bearing apple cultivar, which originated in Australia in 1868. It is named after Maria Ann Smith, who propagated the cultivar from a chance seedling. The tree is thought to be a hybrid of Malus sylvestris, the European Wild Apple, with the domestic...
variety of apple
Apple
The apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family . It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits, and the most widely known of the many members of genus Malus that are used by humans. Apple grow on small, deciduous trees that blossom in the spring...
s first originated in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia in 1868.
Regional cuisine
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
and South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
, in particular the Barossa Valley
Barossa Valley
The Barossa Valley is a major wine-producing region and tourist destination of South Australia, located 60 km northeast of Adelaide. It is the valley formed by the North Para River, and the Barossa Valley Way is the main road through the valley, connecting the main towns on the valley floor of...
, wines and food reflects the region's traditions and heritage. Barossa's early settlers brought their food traditions with them, instilling the region's cuisine with a strong German, as well as Jobey influence. Preserving, smoking and baking are techniques used in this regional cuisine. The area is famous for its vineyards and the abundance of fresh produce including fruit, nuts, vegetables and citrus. Dishes are made with poultry, livestock, yabbies and hare, some examples are: smoked Mettwurst, Lachsschinken and Bratwurst sausages. Traditional breads and yeasted cakes like Bienenstich and Streuselkuchen, pickled onions and gherkins, olives and olive oil, egg noodles, and a variety of chutneys, pickles and preserves, as well as dried fruits, Barossa cheese and quince paste - are all featured in the cuisine.
Breakfast
Breakfast
Breakfast is the first meal taken after rising from a night's sleep, most often eaten in the early morning before undertaking the day's work...
in many Western countries, but may include ethnic influences. In warmer areas breakfast is generally light. In colder seasons and regions porridge or a full English breakfast
Full breakfast
A full breakfast is a meal that consists of several courses, traditionally a starter , a main course, tea with milk, toast and marmalade or other preserves. Many variations are possible....
may be consumed. The light breakfast commonly consists of breakfast cereal
Breakfast cereal
A breakfast cereal is a food made from processed grains that is often, but not always, eaten with the first meal of the day. It is often eaten cold, usually mixed with milk , water, or yogurt, and sometimes fruit but sometimes eaten dry. Some cereals, such as oatmeal, may be served hot as porridge...
, toast
Toast
Toast is bread that has been browned by exposure to radiant heat. This browning reaction is known as the Maillard reaction. Toasting warms the bread and makes it firmer, so it holds toppings more securely...
, fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
. Beverages taken at breakfast include tea, coffee, flavoured milk
Milk
Milk is a white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. Early-lactation milk contains colostrum, which carries the mother's antibodies to the baby and can reduce the risk of many...
, or juice
Juice
Juice is the liquid that is naturally contained in fruit or vegetable tissue.Juice is prepared by mechanically squeezing or macerating fruit or vegetable flesh without the application of heat or solvents. For example, orange juice is the liquid extract of the fruit of the orange tree...
. A popular breakfast food in Australia is Vegemite
Vegemite
Vegemite is a dark brown Australian food paste made from yeast extract. It is a spread for sandwiches, toast, crumpets and cracker biscuits, and filling for pastries...
, a spread similar to Marmite
Marmite
Marmite is the name given to two similar food spreads: the original British version, first produced in the United Kingdom and later South Africa, and a version produced in New Zealand...
.
Dinner
The evening meal is the main meal of the day for most Australians. It is usually consumed at home with members of the immediate family or household. Common choices would be roast meat and vegetables, pasta, pizza, casseroles, barbecued meat, fish and seafood, vegetables, salad, soup, curries and stir-fries.A standard cafe or restaurant in Australia not adhering to any particular ethnic cuisine might offer sandwiches and focaccia
Focaccia
Focaccia is a flat oven-baked Italian bread, which may be topped with herbs or other ingredients. It is related to pizza, but not considered to be the same....
s, a range of pasta, risotto, pizza, salad, curry dishes, steak, chicken or other meat-based dishes, schnitzels, fish, cakes or other desserts, red and white wine, soft drink, beer, and coffee.
Iconic Australian foods
An iconic Australian foodstuff is Vegemite (owned by the American Kraft FoodsKraft Foods
Kraft Foods Inc. is an American confectionery, food and beverage conglomerate. It markets many brands in more than 170 countries. 12 of its brands annually earn more than $1 billion worldwide: Cadbury, Jacobs, Kraft, LU, Maxwell House, Milka, Nabisco, Oscar Mayer, Philadelphia, Trident, Tang...
). Other unique or iconic national foods include Macadamia nuts; Violet Crumble
Violet Crumble
Violet Crumble is an Australian chocolate bar manufactured in Campbellfield near Melbourne, Australia, by Nestlé. It is one of the best selling chocolate bars in Australia. Violet Crumble is also common in Hawaii and is available in other places, including Hong Kong.The bar is a crumbly sponge...
, a honeycomb chocolate bar; Cherry Ripe
Cherry Ripe (chocolate bar)
Cherry Ripe is a brand of chocolate bar currently manufactured by Cadbury Australia. Introduced by the Australian confectionery manufacturer "MacRobertson's" in 1924, it is now Australia's oldest chocolate bar and is one of the top chocolate bar brands sold in the country...
; Jaffas
Jaffas (candy)
Jaffas is the registered trademark for a small round sweet consisting of a soft chocolate centre with a hard covering of orange flavoured, red coloured confectionery. The name derives from the Jaffa orange. The sweet is part of Australian and New Zealand cultural folklore...
, chocolate with an orange
Orange (fruit)
An orange—specifically, the sweet orange—is the citrus Citrus × sinensis and its fruit. It is the most commonly grown tree fruit in the world....
-flavoured confectionery
Confectionery
Confectionery is the set of food items that are rich in sugar, any one or type of which is called a confection. Modern usage may include substances rich in artificial sweeteners as well...
shell; the Chiko Roll
Chiko Roll
The Chiko Roll is an Australian savoury snack, inspired by the Chinese egg roll and spring rolls. It was designed to be easily eaten on the move without a plate or cutlery. The Chiko roll consists of beef, celery, cabbage, barley, carrot, onion, green beans, and spices in a tube of egg, flour and...
, a deep-fried savoury roll similar to a spring roll
Spring roll
Spring rolls is an umbrella term used in some Western cultures to describe disparate varieties of filled, rolled appetizers similar to the Chinese chūn juǎn , from which the term was derived...
; and the Dim sim
Dim sim
A dim sim is a Chinese-inspired meat dumpling-style snack food popular in Australia. The dish normally consists of a large ball of pork or other meat, cabbage and flavourings, encased in a wrapper similar to that of a traditional shumai dumpling. They are usually deep-fried or steamed, but can be...
, a Chinese-inspired dumpling. Other popular Australian foods include Tim Tam
Tim Tam
Tim Tam is a brand of chocolate biscuit currently manufactured by Arnott's in Australia. A Tim Tam is composed of two layers of chocolate malted biscuit, separated by a light chocolate cream filling, and coated in a thin layer of textured chocolate....
s, a chocolate biscuit; Musk stick
Musk stick
Musk sticks are a popular confection in Australia and New Zealand, available from many different suppliers. Having withstood the test of time, musk sticks consist of a pink semi-soft stick, usually extruded with a ridged cross-section. Their flavour and aroma is quite floral, reminiscent of musk...
s; Fairy bread
Fairy bread
Fairy bread is sliced white bread cut into triangles, spread with margarine or butter, and covered with hundreds-and-thousands and nonpareils which stick to the spread.Fairy bread is commonly served at children's parties in Australia and New Zealand....
; Lamington
Lamington
A lamington is a sponge cake of Australian origin in the shape of a cuboid, coated in a layer of traditionally chocolate icing then desiccated coconut. Lamingtons are sometimes served as two halves with a layer of cream and/or strawberry jam between, and are commonly found in South African and...
s; the Boston bun
Boston Bun
A Boston bun is a large spiced bun with a thick layer of coconut icing, prevalent in Australia and New Zealand. Traditionally the bun contained sieved potato, and modern versions sometimes contain raisins. It is often served sliced, to accompany a cup of tea. The origin of the name is unknown.In...
; the Vanilla slice; and the commercial breakfast cereal Weet-Bix
Weet-Bix
Weet-Bix is a high-fibre breakfast biscuit manufactured in Australia and New Zealand by the Sanitarium Health Food Company, and in South Africa by Bokomo....
.
The Australian burger is made with a beef patty, Worcestershire sauce, pickled beets, lettuce and salad items, bacon and a fried egg on top. Pineapple slices and cheese are sometimes but not always used.
ANZAC biscuit
Anzac biscuit
An Anzac biscuit is a sweet biscuit popular in Australia and New Zealand, made using rolled oats, flour, desiccated coconut, sugar, butter, golden syrup, baking soda and boiling water...
s and the pavlova
Pavlova (food)
Pavlova is a meringue-based dessert named after the Russian ballet dancer Anna Pavlova. It is a meringue with a crisp crust and soft, light inner. The name is pronounced or , unlike the name of the dancer, which was or ....
are considered by some to be Australian national foods, although the oldest known named recipe for pavlova is from New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. It has been debated that the current Pavlova is an improvement on the recipe of a meringue cake found in a New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
magazine.
The meat pie is a well known take away
Take Away
Take Away is a 2003 Australian comedy movie, written by Dave O'Neil, who also features as a minor character, and Mark O'Toole. It stars Vince Colosimo, Stephen Curry, Rose Byrne and Nathan Phillips...
item. Kangaroo meat is readily available in Australia although it is not a commonly eaten meat. It is available in various cuts and sausages.
Damper
Damper (food)
Damper is a traditional Australian soda bread prepared by swagmen, drovers, stockmen and other travelers. It consists of a wheat flour based bread, traditionally baked in the coals of a campfire. Damper is an iconic Australian dish...
is a traditional Australian soda bread prepared by swagmen, drovers and other travellers. It consists of a wheat flour based bread, traditionally baked in the coals of a campfire.
Take-away food in Australia
Sausage roll
A Sausage Roll is a type of savoury convenience food commonly served at parties and available from bakeries and milk bars as a take-away food item...
s are take-away food items, and there are also gourmet pies. Found in some takeaway shops is the 'Australian Hamburger'. This is mainly distinguished from other hamburgers by the range of fillings available. An order with all fillings is known as "The Lot" or "The Works". The fillings include lettuce, tomato, cheese, pickled beetroot, fried onion, bacon and a fried egg. American fast food
Fast food
Fast food is the term given to food that can be prepared and served very quickly. While any meal with low preparation time can be considered to be fast food, typically the term refers to food sold in a restaurant or store with preheated or precooked ingredients, and served to the customer in a...
outlets are common, and there are also Australian fast food chains and individual outlets selling pizza, charcoal or fried
Fried chicken
Fried chicken is a dish consisting of chicken pieces usually from broiler chickens which have been floured or battered and then pan fried, deep fried, or pressure fried. The breading adds a crisp coating or crust to the exterior...
chicken, kebab
Kebab
Kebab is a wide variety of meat dishes originating in Middle East and later on adopted by the Middle East, and Asia Minor, and now found worldwide. In English, kebab with no qualification generally refers more specifically to shish kebab served on the skewer...
s, gyros, and fish and chip shops.
Doner kebab—usually called just kebabs—are very popular owing to immigration from Greece, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, the former Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
and Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
. Shops or vans
Kebab van
A kebab van is a van selling kebabs, usually döner kebabs, on the street, normally in cities and towns for the passing trade. They are often open in the evening and late at night after other places to eat have closed....
selling kebab
Kebab
Kebab is a wide variety of meat dishes originating in Middle East and later on adopted by the Middle East, and Asia Minor, and now found worldwide. In English, kebab with no qualification generally refers more specifically to shish kebab served on the skewer...
s are colloquially referred to as "Kebaberies" and "Kebabavans" in some parts of Australia. In Melbourne, they are called souvlaki and in the South Australia they are called yiros. Kebab meat can also be found as a pizza topping in the western suburbs of Sydney and Melbourne, as a "beef pizza" or "Turkish pizza". Doner kebabs in Sydney and Melbourne can be served with all the ingredients placed onto or next to the pita bread on a plate, or more commonly, with the ingredients rolled into the pita bread in the form of a "wrap". The "late night kebab" has become an icon of urban food culture in Australia, with kebabs often purchased and consumed following a night of drinking. Kebabs are considered suitable following consumption of alcohol due their high content of lipids (fats) which aids in metabolism of alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
.
A very wide variety of Chinese, Indian, Vietnamese and various Asian restaurants provide eat-in and take-away services, and are very popular in the cities. With the high levels of immigration from the Middle East, South and South East Asia, Korea, China and other countries from all over the world to Australia, many authentic and high-quality restaurants are run by first and second generation immigrants from these areas. Chinese cuisine ranges from a long established Australian-Chinese style based on the cooking of the Chinese community established during the gold rushes of the late 19th century, to quite different cuisine more recently imported from different regions of China. Asian bakery
Bakery
A bakery is an establishment which produces and sells flour-based food baked in an oven such as bread, cakes, pastries and pies. Some retail bakeries are also cafés, serving coffee and tea to customers who wish to consume the baked goods on the premises.-See also:*Baker*Cake...
stores are also a source of fast food such as savoury rolls. Examples of these include cheese and bacon, cheese and pineapple, which are toppings over a thick piece of bread, and the pork/chicken roll (Banh Mi Thit
Bánh mì
Bánh mì or bánh mỳ is a Vietnamese term for all kinds of bread. Bread, or more specifically the baguette, was introduced by the French during its colonial period. The bread most commonly found in Vietnam is single serve and resembles a torpedo, therefore the term bánh mì is synonymous with this...
), which is a crusty baguette
Baguette
A baguette is "a long thin loaf of French bread" that is commonly made from basic lean dough...
, cut with sliced pork or chicken, carrot, spring onion, soy sauce, pâté, coriander, cucumber and often chili
Chili pepper
Chili pepper is the fruit of plants from the genus Capsicum, members of the nightshade family, Solanaceae. The term in British English and in Australia, New Zealand, India, Malaysia and other Asian countries is just chilli without pepper.Chili peppers originated in the Americas...
.
Prominent Australian chefs
Prominent Australian chefs include:- Cheong LiewCheong LiewCheong Liew is one of South Australia's best known chefs. He first moved from Malaysia to Melbourne in 1969 to study electrical engineering, but instead became a chef....
- Maggie BeerMaggie BeerMaggie Beer is an Australian cook, food author, restaurateur and food manufacturer.-Earlier life:Born Margaret Ann Ackermann in Sydney in January 1945 to Ronald Ackermann and Doreen Carter.-Career:...
- David ThompsonDavid Thompson (chef)David Thompson is an Australian chef, restaurateur and cookery writer, known for his skill and expertise in Thai cuisine.He made his name at Darley Street Thai in Sydney, opened on his return from several years living and working in Bangkok...
- Jean-Paul BruneteauJean-Paul BruneteauJean-Paul Bruneteau is a French-Australian chef and author who is credited with playing a pioneering role in the development of an authentic Australian cuisine based on indigenous ingredients....
- George CalombarisGeorge CalombarisGeorge Calombaris is an Australian chef and a judge of the Network Ten series MasterChef Australia. Prior to his role on MasterChef, Calombaris regularly appeared on the daytime Ten cooking show Ready Steady Cook. He owns three restaurants in Melbourne and one in Mykonos, Greece...
- Guillaume BrahimiGuillaume BrahimiGuillaume Brahimi is a French-born chef based in Sydney, Australia. He is currently head chef of Guillaume at Bennelong restaurant located at the Sydney Opera House.-Background:...
- Peter Russell-ClarkePeter Russell-ClarkePeter Russell-Clarke is an Australian television personality and author, best known as a television chef. He hosted a five-minute television show called Come and Get It, which aired on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation network for nine years during the 1980s.He was chef for the Prince of...
- Gabriel GatéGabriel GatéGabriel Gaté is a French chef living in Australia. He has appeared on a number of Australian television shows and in 2000, Gaté received the La Croix de Chevalier dans L’Ordre du Merite Agricole.-Early life:...
- Peter GilmorePeter GilmorePeter Gilmore is a British actor, perhaps best known for his portrayal of Captain James Onedin in the BBC Television period drama The Onedin Line. He also had roles in eleven Carry On films, and played the heroic lead in the adventure film Warlords of Atlantis...
- Bill GrangerBill GrangerBill Granger is a self-taught cook, restaurateur and food writer, based in his native Australia, but also working internationally.-Career:In the late 1980s, Granger relocated from Melbourne to Sydney to study art. He found inspiration in the city's lifestyle, light and harbour views. He worked...
- Stephanie AlexanderStephanie AlexanderStephanie Alexander is an Australian cook, restaurateur and food writer.After studying to become a librarian and traveling the world at the age of 21, Alexander's first restaurant, Jamaican House, opened in 1964. In 1976, Alexander's next venture was Stephanie's Restaurant located in the Melbourne...
- Kylie KwongKylie KwongKylie Kwong , is a prominent Australian television chef, author, television presenter and restaurateur.-Early life and education:...
- Luke NguyenLuke NguyenLuke Nguyen is a Vietnamese Australian chef, the owner of Red Lantern restaurant in Surry Hills, Sydney.He has written food books and is the host of Luke Nguyen's Vietnam, a food documentary in which he travels through Vietnam, cooking in the ad hoc manner of the street vendors in the country,...
- Guy GrossiGuy GrossiGuy Grossi is an Australian Chef and media personality. He is first generation Italian in Australia and draws his inspiration, for his cooking, from his Italian heritage...
- Stefano ManfrediStefano ManfrediStefano "Steve" Manfredi is an Italian-born chef, author and leading exponent of modern Italian cuisine in Australia. He has opened and operated several restaurants in Sydney since 1983, most notably The Restaurant Manfredi and Bel Mondo...
- Gary MehiganGary MehiganGary Mehigan is an English chef, restaurateur and a judge of the Network Ten series MasterChef Australia.Mehigan also co-hosts two shows on Australia's Lifestyle Food Channel, Good Chef, Bad Chef, and Boy's Weekend and will be appearing at the 2011 Good Food & Wine Show.Mehigan trained at The...
- Matt MoranMatt MoranMatthew Moran,commonly known as Matt Moran, is an Australian chef also known for being a guest on various TV cooking shows.- Early childhood and education :...
- Mark OliveMark OliveMark Olive, also known as the Black Olive, is an Indigenous Australian chef.Olive was born in Wollongong in 1962 and is a Bundjulung man. Olive had a cooking segment on the ABC's Message Stick tv series and later got his own TV cooking series, The Outback Cafe. He has released a cookbook, The...
- Ben O'DonoghueBen O'DonoghueBen O'Donoghue is an Australian chef and television personality. Currently he is one of the hosts and contestants of The Best in Australia airing on LifeStyle Food.-Early years:...
- Neil PerryNeil PerryNeil Arthur Perry is a prominent Australian chef, restaurateur, author and television presenter. He also is the co-ordinator for Qantas Flight Catering under his company Rockpool Consulting and has a food brand sold under his name, available at Woolworths Supermarkets.Perry co-owns and is...
- Poh Ling YeowPoh Ling YeowPoh Ling Yeow is a Malaysian-born Australian artist, actress, celebrity chef and runner-up in MasterChef Australia.- Background :Born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 1973 into a fifth-generation Chinese family, Yeow attended SMK Convent Bukit Nanas. She emigrated to Australia at age 9 with her...
- Tobie PuttockTobie PuttockTobie Puttock is an Australian celebrity chef, best known for his association with British chef Jamie Oliver.-Cooking career:Born in Melbourne, Victoria, Puttock trained at Box Hill Institute of TAFE, and first worked at Caffe e Cucina in South Yarra...
- Cindy SargonCindy SargonCindy Sargon is an Australian TV chef who currently hosts Food 4 Life on the Seven Network. Cindy is of Assyrian descentSargon also appeared in the second series of Surprise Chef in 2003, as well as My Restaurant Rules, Melbourne Woman and Saturday Kitchen...
- Curtis StoneCurtis StoneCurtis Stone is an Australian celebrity chef, author and television personality, nicknamed "The Quiet Terminator" by fans following his performance on The Celebrity Apprentice 3.-Background:...
- Tetsuya WakudaTetsuya Wakudais a Japanese-born Australian chef based in Sydney, Australia. He is widely recognised as one of Australia’s most original, creative and successful culinary talents. His eponymous restaurant, Tetsuya's, is celebrated both nationally and internationally...
- Julie GoodwinJulie GoodwinJulie Goodwin is an Australian cook and singer who came to public attention when she won the inaugural season of MasterChef Australia in 2009, defeating artist Poh Ling Yeow in the final.- MasterChef Australia :...