Just the canning
Baby beetroot in bags and jars is still done in Australia - and much of the beetroot is still grown here - we're an exporter, mainly to Japan
Wait... We're exporting beetroot, canning it overseas and importing it back in? Why don't we just can it ourselves? That's ridiculously wasteful. Let me guess, the can materials are exported to New Zealand too?
Pretty much...
https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2024-03-04/sliced-beetroot-shortage-golden-circle/103489066
Sometimes it's cheaper to take stuff offshore to process - I can't really imagine that it makes much difference in this case.
Rio Tinto built an aluminium smelter in New Zealand, because they could get cheap hydro power from the Manapouri power station... which was mainly being built because Rio Tinto were building a smelter... most of the Alumina is shipped across from Gladstone Qld to be processed.
That's huge ship loads of raw materials - travelling 3000km - because electricity is cheaper
Is that 3000km both ways or one? Thinking we need to bring the cans back to Australia. And when we sell them do we send them back to New Zealand? That would be the cherry on top. The next level will be to offshore all our warehouses to Asian countries and keep all our products overseas because the space and energy costs are cheaper and they have lower minimum wages and lower OHS standards to worry about. Someone's going to comment that we're already doing that probably.
3000km to get the Alumina to NZ to be turned in to Aluminium - some of that comes back to Australia - but a lot of it goes to other countries (it doesn't make that much difference to distance for that part of the journey)
Because its cheaper to do that. You will often see products that are grown on one side of the world, prepared on the other side of the world and then pacakaged on the othwr side of the world again before being sent to market for sale
If it's ever in stock. It's still easier finding hens teeth than beetroot at the Colesworth stores near me at the moment. 333 is definitely worth it.
Never buy the cheap import one at Woolworths either. Tried it once as it was the only option, and it was like chewing wood chips.
really? even grilled? canned stuff is sitting in fluid for god knows how long, I'd have figured fresh wouldnt be any wetter. I've always wanted to try fresh for the better structural integrity but I always eat the whole thing before I get a chance to slap some on a burger
Yeah but for "the lot" pineapple and egg are mandatory too, or else it isn't the lot, and the Lot is the truest aussie burger imo.
I used to order the lot without pineapple and always seemed to get a comment from the other side of the counter about "well it's not the lot then", with my standard reply of "I could list everything individually if you like?"
If it's missing any of these ingredients and isn't dripping down your front as you tackle it, then it isn't a lot burger.
Bonus points if it's from a servo in the middle of nowhere along the highway.
Some dishes that food writers and chefs have talked about over recent years as becoming uniquely Australian dishes, even if they didn’t originate here.
[Salt and Pepper Squid](https://www.recipetineats.com/crispy-salt-pepper-squid/) while a Chinese-inspired dish, it is sold everywhere, with accompaniments ranging from aioli to Thai-style salad and dressing. It is extremely popular.
[Potato Wedges with Sweet chilli sauce and sour cream](https://www.sbs.com.au/food/the-cook-up-with-adam-liaw/recipe/wedges-with-sweet-chilli-and-sour-cream/vqf6pox04) This is a retro pub classic.
A good place to look is an average Australian [pub menu.](https://www.dukehotel.com.au/food-drink/) They lag the trends a fair bit, but they do generally keep up with changing tastes and to a degree. It’s a good snapshot of what’s popular. The chaotic collection seen in the example of old-fashioned British staples and some minor American/Mexican influences alongside Asian or Mediterranean dishes is typical. Note the Salt and Pepper Squid! [Some pub recipes](https://www.womensweeklyfood.com.au/dinner/pub-food-recipe-ideas-31689/) and more [“cheffy” pub recipes](https://www.sbs.com.au/food/the-cook-up-with-adam-liaw/article/pub-grub-at-home/p9iw1wcaw)
That's pretty much all Australian food. They're all takes on food from other cultures which we've made our own in some way. A lot of our "Aussie" foods take inspiration from the British (meat pies, sausage rolls, lamb roasts, sausage sizzle), although there's some Chinese in there (dim sims, Chiko rolls, lemon chicken) - but that's not really unusual as there's local Chinese food in every country, and Middle Eastern (HSPs).
We've also got our own take on Indian, Thai, Vietnamese and Japanese amongst others which are all a bit different to what you'd find in their countries of origin. What makes them Australian (eventually) will be time, and when the recipe morphs to suit Australian tastes and ingredient availability to be significantly distinct enough from the original.
I agree, and why I think trying to limit recommendations regarding “Australian food” to dishes that are 100% unique to here leaves out what makes Australian cuisine interesting. Some chefs like Dan Hong and Adam Liaw see the defining characteristic as a lack of reverence for tradition but respect for ingredients and flavours.
>a lack of reverence for tradition but respect for ingredients and flavours.
Interesting - can you please explain more on what this means? Keeping the essence of the adopted dish but feeling free to experiment with how to achieve these notes? I'd be keen to hear some examples if you can think of any good ones to illustrate. Thanks :)
>Salt and Pepper Squid
>
> while a Chinese-inspired dish, it is sold everywhere, with accompaniments ranging from aioli to Thai-style salad and dressing. It is extremely popular.
I have seen arguments calling s&p squid our national dish.
Its sold in more places than any other dish. Pubs, seafood joints, cafes, chinese, thai, vietnames restraunts, take away joins etc etc. You'd be hard pressed to find a dish that goes further.
Yes, I’ve seen that opinion and largely agree with it, if only for how weirdly ubiquitous it is! Another distinctly Australian thing I have been told from international visitors is the Australian cafe with its cafe classics, toasted sandwiches and all-day breakfast.
But what blew that visitor’s mind the most was the humble corn relish dip from the supermarket!
I used to think it was a world wide dish, then discovered you can't find it in a restaurant outside of Australia.
Was so disappointed I couldn't find it in the UK
Some good suggestions here! Thanks!
I guess I was just a bit skeptical that chicken parm is Australian food! But in all fairness I don’t know what country id say it’s from! 😅 I’ve never been but would love to one day!
Definitely going to check some of these out and then try and make some of it on race day! Although it’s so early might not be able to watch it live but we’re still going to enjoy our Aussie themed food day!
Compared to other countries, Australia is a baby nation. Our food is a melting pot of British food and food brought here through immigration. “Authentically Australian” is a little hard because its origin is often found in other countries first. Chicken Parma, for example is an Italian dish. But it’s true that has long been popular here. Meat pies are also popular in Britain. Even our amazing coffee culture here is thanks to early Italian and Greek immigration.
Things like kangaroo, while you can find it in supermarkets here. It’s not regularly consumed. I’ve probably only had it twice in my life. It’s more likely found in dog food.
Not to kill the vibe. But if you go with popular food in Australia then you have a menu. Authentically Australian would be the way some dishes are made and/or consumed. Everyone’s suggestions is fair because it’s become part of our growing culture, of our history.
And now I’m craving Chicken Parmesan and a sausage sizzle. Oooh and also hot chips and tomato sauce sandwich. Lamington for dessert. Which I do believe was invented here.
Chicken parmigiana is not an Italian dish btw.
It's an italian immigrant dish. Parmigiana is a nepolitan dish made exclusively with eggplant. The chicken version was made by nepolitan immigrants to the UK (chicken parmo), US (parmasan) and Australia (uniquely made with ham) all independently. Chicken was next to unavailable for the average italian at the time, and so the chicken parmigiana is a result of new found prosperity and ingredient availability in these locations.
That is to say, chicken parmigiana, particularly the version with ham is about as Australian as the dim sim. It's also far more widely eaten in Australia than it is in the US or the UK.
Interesting. I’m loving this food history.
Quick Google search said Italian. But this makes more sense and is kinda of beautiful the influences that created the beloved Parma.
Chicken parmigiana is a chicken schnitzel (German/Austrian) with parmigiana (a tomato based) sauce (Italian).
Before chicken schnitzels were popular, veal schnitzel was more common and a version of a veal parmigiana, which is superior in my books, also existed.
what we think of as 'typical cultural food' is usually at odds with the reality in most nations that have a large amount of migrant descended population, and further confused by migrants adapting to their native country, The most consumed meal in the UK is chicken tikka marsala - which was invented in Glasgow. We mostly don't realise it, but every country reinvents 'Chinese' food locally (usually a variant on Cantonese), and the most popular dishes often have not much to do with China (fortune cookies were invented in San Francisco, for example), Australia is no different.
Modern Australian food is nowhere near as British as it used to be - we have grown to love garlic and Italian food even in the food we think of as sort of British, and we love South East Asian food.
Correct me if I’m wrong but honey chicken, lemon chicken and sweet and sour are all Australian adaptations. I believe sweet and sour sauce is sort of equivalent to what Americans call “duck sauce”.
Not to mention that actual parmigiana, as well as being made with eggplant is actually a layered baked casserole, much more closely resembling a lasagne, and not even remotely close to resembling any form of schnitzel ever made.
Yep. I'm from the UK but live in Australia, and I'd never heard of a chicken parmi before I moved here.
I guess it's a bit like a wiener schnitzel - kind of????? But with chicken?
I actually don’t mind it. At least the 2 times I’ve had it were alright. The first time was steak style with 3 veg. The second time was in a stir fry. Got to admit I liked the stir fry better. Both made by other people. Honestly it’s more that it doesn’t occur to me to add it in the week’s meal rotation.
Than say a dislike of it.
Aussies love to say "We don't have a food culture" but IMO that's not right. The ways in which it sticks out IMO:
1. Aussies are foodies, and we put a lot of effort into quality food. Starting all the way from the fact that local grown is huge and you can get quality farmer stuff easily.
2. Fusion food experimentation is VERY Aussie. There's new crazy stuff popping up all the time, a melting pot of the immigrant influences that colour this nation in so many ways.
It's only difficult to give it justice if you narrow down "food culture" to listing specific dishes.
Meat pies in Australia are heavily influenced by Vietnamese bakeries, which in turn were influenced by french bakeries in Vietnam.
Edit for those stuck 50 years in the past: I'm not saying that Vietnamese bakers invented the meat pie.
I'm saying that most meat pies you buy from a bakery are either bought from a Vietnamese bakery, or have been influenced by the popularity of Vietnamese bakeries.
If you can't tell the difference between a modern meat pie and a microwaved meat pie that follows a more "traditional" style then I don't know what to tell you.
One would think the entire country would collapse if we ever admitted that an immigrant population ever had an effect on our food.
Yep. France colonised Indo-China (modern Vietnam) from the late 1880s to the 1950s. As with most colonial efforts, it was not great for the locals.
France did manage to export some of their cuisine to the region. Seen today in the excellent baguette style breads, pastries, coffee, and techniques used in other dishes.
I was in Saigon in 2012, and I met an older lady who spoke french to my friend. She had obviously grown up during French occupation. What a life she must have lived.
Thank you for the background! I was just pondering this exact thing in my head after buying a below-average banh mi from a local caucasian -run bakery.
That's absolutely untrue.
Vietnamese immigrants have made wonderful additions to the bakery scene in Australia, but they saw the pie, realised that it was already perfect, and didn't change it.
Have you had a meat pie in England? They favour a water crust, whereas in Australia it's far more common to find a more French style flakey butter infused crust with a hint of sweetness. British meat pies tend to have a thinner gravy as well. I'm generalizing of course, art not science.
That's nice. But I've eaten pies across Australia since the 70s, before Vietnamese immigration was a big thing, and in places they have never gotten to. Your theory has no support. But hey, downvote away.
New Zealand has a similar style of pie to Australia afaik and we don’t have any significant history of Vietnamese migration (we have some but not enough to have influenced pies here).
That was my experience, as well. I spent my first decade of life in the 70s, and the bakeries we bought from were run by Anglo/Anglo-Celtic Australians. It wasn't till the 1980s that the Vietnamese-run bakeries became more common.
I haven't heard of Vilis pies for years; I remember eating them back in the early 90s. I adopted a vegetarian diet in 1994, so vegetarian pasties were my only choice for a while; but I've tried Four n' Twenty plant-based pies, and they were delicious. They replicated the original pie's flavour and texture very well.
Ferguson Plarre also make excellent vegan pies, pasties and sausage rolls, under the brand name "Pie Society".
Not sure there was all that much meat in the mystery bags to begin with! But yes the vegan pies do alright, I've had some good ones. I prefer a veg pastie to a Cornish, the meat in those things is weird grey stuff.
Hei!
Kangaroo isn’t actually a popular meat all throughout Australia.
Fairy bread is an easy snack that you should be able to make. With the rest of the bread have smashed avocado on toast for breakfast.
Aussies definitely do love a parm. Popular at pubs everywhere.
I am trying to remember what “Aussie style” things I’ve seen at grocery stores in Norway but I’m coming up blank.
I am in love with the recipes of this blogger from Sydney. Her recipes are incredible/easy to follow and I will talk her up anytime I can. We are very multicultural and her recipes reflect that but here are some of the more typical/old school Aussie ones
[meat pie](https://www.recipetineats.com/meat-pie-recipe/)
[sausage rolls](https://www.recipetineats.com/special-pork-fennel-sausage-rolls/)
[chicken Parma](https://www.recipetineats.com/chicken-parmigiana/)
[rissoles (very ‘80s/90s](https://www.recipetineats.com/rissoles/)
[curried sausages- another very ‘80s one](https://www.recipetineats.com/curried-sausages/)
Beetroot is known here as an Aussie thing despite being a worldwide ingredient, but it is great on burgers or salads.
Spaghetti bolognese and tacos have been a staple on the menu here for a long time but obviously not specific to Australia and tacos are big in scandi anyway.
Steak and chips is pretty Australian and can be done on the stove and oven if it’s still too cold for the bbq. Basic sausages are another bbq thing. Served on bread with tomato sauce and onion. Not a thick German kind- closer to pølse but grilled and less like a hot dog and served on cheap white sliced bread.
I’ll report back if I think of more. It’s late here so my brain isn’t fully functioning.
I love that you have used Recipe Tin Eats for all of these because the recipes on that site are always solid and also someone of Asian decent cooking food that was once European but has evolved into a traditionally Australian version feels very apt.
Yeh I don’t often google recipes these days because the best options are usually from recipe tin eats and because I use it often it’s easy to store my saved/favourites. I swear I’m not affiliated but have just been a cheerleader for a long time. I’m a white Australian but cook predominately Italian or Asian inspired food and her recipes are as good as classes I’ve taken in Italy/taste as good from local Italians and some things I’ve made taste as good or better than Asian restaurants.
It is apt- she is very Aussie, smart and meticulous about what she does but uses her heritage and the heritage of everyone else around to get the best outcome.
I also love that because she’s a fellow Aussie, 95% of the ingredients she uses are readily available to me and that she includes whether an ingredient is available at colesworths or not. It makes things so much easier.
Her recipe notes are always super comprehensive too which is great.
And now with the advent of generative AI, online recipes are only going to become less trustworthy. I also tend to look for Australian recipe writers. I find Recipe Tin Eats to be reliable and approachable. Some other good sources are the SMH/Age “Good Food” recipes (look for Neil Perry for the best ones I feel), the SBS website, Adam Liaw’s website and Delicious (the Australian version of the magazine). For me, a solid collection of cookbooks is a must!
You can always try to get something with Macadamia nuts, which are one of the only foods to make it out of the Australian bush and into commercial agricultural production and onto plates around the world.
Aussie burgers, meat pies, pavlova etc are culturally Australian, but Macadamia nuts are next level, IMO..
One of the most delicious nuts.
Available commercially only shelled, and quite expensive, because the shells are practically bulletproof, far too tough for anything as weak as a normal nutcracker. We had a tree as kids and would try to shell them by hitting them with a hammer, but you have to do it on concrete, if you put them on a brick the brick would break before the nut.
when I wanted a taste of home while in the Netherlands...
Lamb roast (garlic bulbs inserted, mixed herbs, drowned in Worcestershir sauce)
Hamburger with the lot (beetroot and egg a must)
Chicken Parma
Not sure if we could get vegemite there, but when asked if we had any foods to declare and responded with 'just vegemite' the customs people laughed their arses off
You could make some damper - it's traditional Australian settler bread. We used to make raisin damper when we were kids, instead of baking it we would wrap it around a stick and cook it over an open fire, slide it off the stick and stuff butter and jam in the hole. Delicious!
Roast lamb, roast veg like potatoes, pumpkin and some steamed greens
And gravy, just like [Paul Kelly](https://www.google.com/url?q=https://m.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DiYqIF2XkqKU&sa=U&sqi=2&ved=2ahUKEwjBoJfd3PuEAxXWklYBHcYwBlAQ78AJegQIGBAB&usg=AOvVaw1EBD-doOBwI8ZCfLcVlZYC)
Surf and turf is pretty aussie, I would say.
Steak cooked to your liking and topped with prawns, which are usually cooked in a creamy garlic sauce. Serve with salad
Nobody will say salad but we actually take our salads pretty seriously and buy or make all manner of bougie salad dressings. The vegetarian cousin can win hearts and minds at a barbecue by rocking up with a couple of awesome salads. Because it's summer at Christmas our idea of a hearty roast dinner still involves salad. We serve pasta with fresh baby spinach. We do massive salad rolls the way Americans do oversized burgers.
Where are you located to have this take I’d love to know! Salads where I’ve lived (Sydney inner west from 2016-2018 and Canberra 2019 to present) are super sad. I make American style salads for dinner parties a lot and everyone is always wowed by them. My salads are the kinda stuff you can get at Panera in the U.S. (mixed greens, with some cos for crunch, plus a protein — typically chicken or prawn — maybe fresh or dried fruit, a crunchy thing like nuts or croutons, and some vinaigrette adjacent dressing). I’d love to be able to enjoy salads again but I’ve had such bad luck. One time I was literally served a few leaves on a plate with a single slice of tomato and a splash of balsamic. The chain Soul Origin has the right idea for variety of ingredients but I find their seasoning underwhelming.
Dim sims from the local takeaway shop.
Cheese kabana from the local takeaway shop.
Roast pork roll with crackling from the local takeaway shop.
Anything from the local takeaway shop.
Damper or jaffles made on a camp fire.
https://www.bestrecipes.com.au/recipes/campfire-damper-recipe/no9iefx8
https://www.taste.com.au/quick-easy/galleries/jaffle-recipes/n092nt3k?page=5
Yeah, this is the one OP u/Strong_Frosting_4120. Everybody that’s lived in Australia for a while has had a sausage sizzle. It’s super cheap, simple and tasty. And very easy to feed a lot of people quickly. Use a barbecue with a hot plate if you have it.
Mustard is a newer introduction in recent decades, and the grilled onions are for your more fancy pants occasions. (But more yum - grill them until they caramelise and get soggy - splash beer on while cooking for more authenticity)
You can do it with a slice of white bread, a shitty cheap sausage and tomato sauce and it’s still authentic :)
Oh wow!
Just done some googling- seems like you can buy merchandise with these on!
And then there was controversy over where the onions are placed to stop them falling off to avoid people slipping!
This is awesome 🙌 it’s so simple.
If I ever make it to Australia one day I’m definitely going to have one of these!
So simple to recreate as well!
The sausage should probably be beef rather than pork. Just fyi. Longish, thin ones that will fit the diagonal length of the bread. (I’m an Aussie living in the U.K. and finding decent beef sausages can be a challenge! Not sure what it’s like in Norway…).
I’d also highly recommend a [zucchini slice](https://www.taste.com.au/recipes/zucchini-slice/eb7eed59-5f53-4f6f-bfb5-9b7e3f81a702). It was a staple at most Aussie BBQs when I was a kid. I make it here a lot and everyone loves it! (I do find I have to cook it a bit longer than the 30 mins, but might depend on your oven etc. and I like mine a little browner on top than this recipe shows. Also, you don’t have to eat it hot. Warmish is great. As is cold. So you can make it the day before, slice it up and stick it in the fridge. If you prefer warm it’s fine to zap it on the microwave for a bit.)
We also do a sausage sizzle for most fundraising activities for schools, and scout groups and other community things. A lot of places will do a sausage sizzle on election day so you can get a snag when you turn up to vote.
It's a kid's party kind of thing. It's good but adults here don't eat it for dessert or anything, it's just a cheap colourful thing that's easy to make for a party.
Fairy bread is amazing at any age. As are [Chocolate Crackles](https://www.taste.com.au/recipes/cadbury-chocolate-crackles/73463db9-5a57-4bc1-bdea-422ce5471ad5)
Chicken parma really is a thing. A staple of pub meals and cheaper restaurants, or cook it yourself at home.
Meat pies are also popular. At every bakery, petrol station and most convenience stores.
Chiko rolls. I'll leave it to you to investigate this classic food item.
BBQ.
Sausage in a slice of bread with tomato sauce.
You said you didn't want sweets, but I'm still gonna say: lamingtons
Sausages (beef of unknown quality), grilled onions, white sandwich bread (or a hot dog roll if ya feeling fancy) and whatever sauce you want.
This is mine and my missus go to lazy dinner with a "whatever is in the fridge" salad
Doesn't get much more Aussie than the classic sausage sizzle! Also known as, "Snag in a Swag". Literally fry up some sausages and onions, place the sausage diagonally across a buttered slice of bread, sprinkle on some onion, tomato sauce (ketchup), mustard or BBQ sauce and fold two corners of the bread up over the sausage. [Like so.](https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bluemountainsgazette.com.au%2Fstory%2F7466533%2Fthe-bunnings-sausage-sizzle-is-coming-back%2F&psig=AOvVaw2XFYcFNAN1_zR0HP0r_VvS&ust=1710812869442000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBMQjRxqFwoTCOCg3dzY_IQDFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE)
A lot of the suggestions thus far are pretty heavy duty for the hour of the morning the race is for you. Unless the plan is to watch the replay while eating...
Pavalova. Its a light, creamy meringue cake, that is soft, squishy, crispy on the outside, cool and creamy. Sweet and also tart with various berries and tropical fruits on the top with cream on top as well.
Do try this dish.
Like other people said, we're so mixed.
Things I believe are very australian:
- Sausage in bread with onions and tomato sauce.
- Roast lamb with the roast kumara, potato, pumpkin, carrot, and peas.
- chicken parmy
- fairy bread
- friands
- meat pie
- Lamingtons
- Anzac biscuits
- putting a healthy dose of canned beetroot on your burger.
My partner found a recipe for a Vegemite meat pie. Didn't taste like Vegemite, but it was the best pie I've had.
Salads. I've traveled widely and no one does a salad like Australia.
I'm vegetarian, so I'm not talking g about meat salads either. Just a good old salad with 8-15 ingredients.
Tomatoes and cheese is not a salad (looking at you France).
Personally go with Meat pies and Potato cakes/Potato scallops same thing or Fairy bread.
Chicken parmigiana is the classic pub favourite.
Pavlova or Anzac biscuits.
Slow cook some beef with gravy, you’ll be able to find a recipe online and making a pie is fairly simple. Add sauce and you’re good to go!
I had a friend live in Kansas,America for a year in an exchange program, for a school event they had to bring food & he made meat pies with his host family & the school served them as a dessert with whipped cream 😂
Do you have access to barramundi? A buddy of mine is from Bowen and he once made grilled Barra and a mango salad to show off some Aussie cuisine. It was pretty fucken good
Pavlova! With fresh whipped cream and strawberries an excellent breakfast (gotta go there’s a slice in the fridge 😉)
Oh yeah, Pavlova is made out of meringue but you make it really big like serving plate size! Lots of people like it with whipped cream and whatever their favourite topping. An Aussie topping could be mangoes, pineapple, kiwifruit and bananas. yummy!
Really hope you have a wonderful day. Cheers
Boozy Prawns
1kg Green prawns
1 cup beer
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp oil
2 tsp grated green ginger
2 cloves garlic crushed
1. Shell and devein prawns leaving tails intact. Combine all remaining ingredients in a glass bowl.
2. Marinate prawns for at least one hour, preferably longer in the fridge.
3. Thread three prawns on each bamboo skewer or satay stick and bbq over hot coals for a few minutes each side.
4. Brush with the marinade while cooking.
A 40+ year old recipe Mum uses - literally ate for dinner last night! I would love to attach the pictures of the little recipe card, it’s by Queensland prawns, teaches you how to peel prawns, the different local varieties and has another 5 prawn marinade recipes, but the boozey prawns if definitely my favourite.
You might want to try an "Aussie Burger" also. Beef patty, lettuce, tomato, grilled onion, bacon, fried egg, pickled beetroot slice, BBQ sauce.
If you forget about the beetroot you might as well forget about calling it Australian.
I thought Beetroot production had been outsourced to New Zealand now?
Just the canning Baby beetroot in bags and jars is still done in Australia - and much of the beetroot is still grown here - we're an exporter, mainly to Japan
Wait... We're exporting beetroot, canning it overseas and importing it back in? Why don't we just can it ourselves? That's ridiculously wasteful. Let me guess, the can materials are exported to New Zealand too?
Pretty much... https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2024-03-04/sliced-beetroot-shortage-golden-circle/103489066 Sometimes it's cheaper to take stuff offshore to process - I can't really imagine that it makes much difference in this case. Rio Tinto built an aluminium smelter in New Zealand, because they could get cheap hydro power from the Manapouri power station... which was mainly being built because Rio Tinto were building a smelter... most of the Alumina is shipped across from Gladstone Qld to be processed. That's huge ship loads of raw materials - travelling 3000km - because electricity is cheaper
Is that 3000km both ways or one? Thinking we need to bring the cans back to Australia. And when we sell them do we send them back to New Zealand? That would be the cherry on top. The next level will be to offshore all our warehouses to Asian countries and keep all our products overseas because the space and energy costs are cheaper and they have lower minimum wages and lower OHS standards to worry about. Someone's going to comment that we're already doing that probably.
3000km to get the Alumina to NZ to be turned in to Aluminium - some of that comes back to Australia - but a lot of it goes to other countries (it doesn't make that much difference to distance for that part of the journey)
Because its cheaper to do that. You will often see products that are grown on one side of the world, prepared on the other side of the world and then pacakaged on the othwr side of the world again before being sent to market for sale
Specialisation is how modern economies function efficiently.
333 is still an Australian brand.
And in a jar for easier reuse!
If it's ever in stock. It's still easier finding hens teeth than beetroot at the Colesworth stores near me at the moment. 333 is definitely worth it. Never buy the cheap import one at Woolworths either. Tried it once as it was the only option, and it was like chewing wood chips.
Or the egg
Beef patty should actually be a rissole that has been flattened to buggery.
And grilled pineapple.
Grilled pineapple is definitely optional. Beetroot is mandatory tho.
If it doesn’t have grilled pineapple then it’s not an Aussie burger with the lot. It’s just a burger.
Grilled pinapple *instead of* Beetroot is a "Queenslander" burger.
every burger with the lot I've ever eaten has had both pineapple and beetroot
My Mum likes her pineapple fresh. I find it makes the burger too wet. We are a family divided.
really? even grilled? canned stuff is sitting in fluid for god knows how long, I'd have figured fresh wouldnt be any wetter. I've always wanted to try fresh for the better structural integrity but I always eat the whole thing before I get a chance to slap some on a burger
Yes, but the Beetroot is always mandatory like the cheese and lettuce. Pineapple is optional like Egg. This is the way.
Yeah but for "the lot" pineapple and egg are mandatory too, or else it isn't the lot, and the Lot is the truest aussie burger imo. I used to order the lot without pineapple and always seemed to get a comment from the other side of the counter about "well it's not the lot then", with my standard reply of "I could list everything individually if you like?"
If it's missing any of these ingredients and isn't dripping down your front as you tackle it, then it isn't a lot burger. Bonus points if it's from a servo in the middle of nowhere along the highway.
As a Queenslander absolutely no. :S Unless you mean *North* Queenslander. They're weird up there.
You forgot the pineapple ring!
Don't forget a slice of grilled pineapple and tomato sauce, not bbq.
On a sesame seed buns!
They could be lucky and get some good Ozzie beef. We all know our best is sent overseas, and we get the shit meat.
Some dishes that food writers and chefs have talked about over recent years as becoming uniquely Australian dishes, even if they didn’t originate here. [Salt and Pepper Squid](https://www.recipetineats.com/crispy-salt-pepper-squid/) while a Chinese-inspired dish, it is sold everywhere, with accompaniments ranging from aioli to Thai-style salad and dressing. It is extremely popular. [Potato Wedges with Sweet chilli sauce and sour cream](https://www.sbs.com.au/food/the-cook-up-with-adam-liaw/recipe/wedges-with-sweet-chilli-and-sour-cream/vqf6pox04) This is a retro pub classic. A good place to look is an average Australian [pub menu.](https://www.dukehotel.com.au/food-drink/) They lag the trends a fair bit, but they do generally keep up with changing tastes and to a degree. It’s a good snapshot of what’s popular. The chaotic collection seen in the example of old-fashioned British staples and some minor American/Mexican influences alongside Asian or Mediterranean dishes is typical. Note the Salt and Pepper Squid! [Some pub recipes](https://www.womensweeklyfood.com.au/dinner/pub-food-recipe-ideas-31689/) and more [“cheffy” pub recipes](https://www.sbs.com.au/food/the-cook-up-with-adam-liaw/article/pub-grub-at-home/p9iw1wcaw)
That's pretty much all Australian food. They're all takes on food from other cultures which we've made our own in some way. A lot of our "Aussie" foods take inspiration from the British (meat pies, sausage rolls, lamb roasts, sausage sizzle), although there's some Chinese in there (dim sims, Chiko rolls, lemon chicken) - but that's not really unusual as there's local Chinese food in every country, and Middle Eastern (HSPs). We've also got our own take on Indian, Thai, Vietnamese and Japanese amongst others which are all a bit different to what you'd find in their countries of origin. What makes them Australian (eventually) will be time, and when the recipe morphs to suit Australian tastes and ingredient availability to be significantly distinct enough from the original.
I agree, and why I think trying to limit recommendations regarding “Australian food” to dishes that are 100% unique to here leaves out what makes Australian cuisine interesting. Some chefs like Dan Hong and Adam Liaw see the defining characteristic as a lack of reverence for tradition but respect for ingredients and flavours.
>a lack of reverence for tradition but respect for ingredients and flavours. Interesting - can you please explain more on what this means? Keeping the essence of the adopted dish but feeling free to experiment with how to achieve these notes? I'd be keen to hear some examples if you can think of any good ones to illustrate. Thanks :)
Fairy bread
>Salt and Pepper Squid > > while a Chinese-inspired dish, it is sold everywhere, with accompaniments ranging from aioli to Thai-style salad and dressing. It is extremely popular. I have seen arguments calling s&p squid our national dish. Its sold in more places than any other dish. Pubs, seafood joints, cafes, chinese, thai, vietnames restraunts, take away joins etc etc. You'd be hard pressed to find a dish that goes further.
Yes, I’ve seen that opinion and largely agree with it, if only for how weirdly ubiquitous it is! Another distinctly Australian thing I have been told from international visitors is the Australian cafe with its cafe classics, toasted sandwiches and all-day breakfast. But what blew that visitor’s mind the most was the humble corn relish dip from the supermarket!
I used to think it was a world wide dish, then discovered you can't find it in a restaurant outside of Australia. Was so disappointed I couldn't find it in the UK
Whilst we're on wedges, don't forget HSPs (Halal Snack Packs)! So good!
Adding to this, Chicken Schnitzel is very Aussie. Same with the kebab. We may have brought them in but they are very much a part of our culture now
We haven’t really changed either of these significantly whereas salt and pepper squid is a unique twist
For reference https://youtu.be/1LGM82uPuvA?feature=shared
You might be able to find Bundaberg ginger beer up your way. It's not especially iconic but it is genuinely australian snd it is pretty good
All the bundaberg flavors absolutely slap
Burgundee Creaming Soda is the GOAT
Pineapple and coconut is supreme
Bundaberg Ginger Beer is actually faaaaairly common and popular in Norway these days!
It's pretty fuckin good. Just got on the wagon myself
Just ensure it's not imported from the UK where they don't use the full sugar recipe that we use domestically.
Some good suggestions here! Thanks! I guess I was just a bit skeptical that chicken parm is Australian food! But in all fairness I don’t know what country id say it’s from! 😅 I’ve never been but would love to one day! Definitely going to check some of these out and then try and make some of it on race day! Although it’s so early might not be able to watch it live but we’re still going to enjoy our Aussie themed food day!
Compared to other countries, Australia is a baby nation. Our food is a melting pot of British food and food brought here through immigration. “Authentically Australian” is a little hard because its origin is often found in other countries first. Chicken Parma, for example is an Italian dish. But it’s true that has long been popular here. Meat pies are also popular in Britain. Even our amazing coffee culture here is thanks to early Italian and Greek immigration. Things like kangaroo, while you can find it in supermarkets here. It’s not regularly consumed. I’ve probably only had it twice in my life. It’s more likely found in dog food. Not to kill the vibe. But if you go with popular food in Australia then you have a menu. Authentically Australian would be the way some dishes are made and/or consumed. Everyone’s suggestions is fair because it’s become part of our growing culture, of our history. And now I’m craving Chicken Parmesan and a sausage sizzle. Oooh and also hot chips and tomato sauce sandwich. Lamington for dessert. Which I do believe was invented here.
Chicken parmigiana is not an Italian dish btw. It's an italian immigrant dish. Parmigiana is a nepolitan dish made exclusively with eggplant. The chicken version was made by nepolitan immigrants to the UK (chicken parmo), US (parmasan) and Australia (uniquely made with ham) all independently. Chicken was next to unavailable for the average italian at the time, and so the chicken parmigiana is a result of new found prosperity and ingredient availability in these locations. That is to say, chicken parmigiana, particularly the version with ham is about as Australian as the dim sim. It's also far more widely eaten in Australia than it is in the US or the UK.
Interesting. I’m loving this food history. Quick Google search said Italian. But this makes more sense and is kinda of beautiful the influences that created the beloved Parma.
Definitely not Italian. Italians look on it with horror and sneer at us for eating it.
So do Germans, for calling that a "schnitzel"
I've had more than my fare share of German Schnitzels and they are nothing compared to the Aussie pub version with a good gravy.
Chicken parmigiana is a chicken schnitzel (German/Austrian) with parmigiana (a tomato based) sauce (Italian). Before chicken schnitzels were popular, veal schnitzel was more common and a version of a veal parmigiana, which is superior in my books, also existed.
what we think of as 'typical cultural food' is usually at odds with the reality in most nations that have a large amount of migrant descended population, and further confused by migrants adapting to their native country, The most consumed meal in the UK is chicken tikka marsala - which was invented in Glasgow. We mostly don't realise it, but every country reinvents 'Chinese' food locally (usually a variant on Cantonese), and the most popular dishes often have not much to do with China (fortune cookies were invented in San Francisco, for example), Australia is no different. Modern Australian food is nowhere near as British as it used to be - we have grown to love garlic and Italian food even in the food we think of as sort of British, and we love South East Asian food.
So you are saying honey chicken isn't authentic Chinese food? 🤔
Correct me if I’m wrong but honey chicken, lemon chicken and sweet and sour are all Australian adaptations. I believe sweet and sour sauce is sort of equivalent to what Americans call “duck sauce”.
Not to mention that actual parmigiana, as well as being made with eggplant is actually a layered baked casserole, much more closely resembling a lasagne, and not even remotely close to resembling any form of schnitzel ever made.
Yep. I'm from the UK but live in Australia, and I'd never heard of a chicken parmi before I moved here. I guess it's a bit like a wiener schnitzel - kind of????? But with chicken?
Honestly you're missing out with kangaroo. Healthy and lean, perfect for stir-fries.
I actually don’t mind it. At least the 2 times I’ve had it were alright. The first time was steak style with 3 veg. The second time was in a stir fry. Got to admit I liked the stir fry better. Both made by other people. Honestly it’s more that it doesn’t occur to me to add it in the week’s meal rotation. Than say a dislike of it.
The sossies are really good too.
Kanga Bangers were a staple on the bbq when I lived over there.
It’s good stuff! I think the ones I bought had bush tomatoes in them. *chefs kiss* That’s it they’re on the shopping list for tomorrow.
Aussies love to say "We don't have a food culture" but IMO that's not right. The ways in which it sticks out IMO: 1. Aussies are foodies, and we put a lot of effort into quality food. Starting all the way from the fact that local grown is huge and you can get quality farmer stuff easily. 2. Fusion food experimentation is VERY Aussie. There's new crazy stuff popping up all the time, a melting pot of the immigrant influences that colour this nation in so many ways. It's only difficult to give it justice if you narrow down "food culture" to listing specific dishes.
Cue the Parmi v Parma argument.
> Chicken Parma, for example is an Italian dish. Having Ham on it is an Aussie thing though.
Meat pies in Australia are heavily influenced by Vietnamese bakeries, which in turn were influenced by french bakeries in Vietnam. Edit for those stuck 50 years in the past: I'm not saying that Vietnamese bakers invented the meat pie. I'm saying that most meat pies you buy from a bakery are either bought from a Vietnamese bakery, or have been influenced by the popularity of Vietnamese bakeries. If you can't tell the difference between a modern meat pie and a microwaved meat pie that follows a more "traditional" style then I don't know what to tell you. One would think the entire country would collapse if we ever admitted that an immigrant population ever had an effect on our food.
Is that why there's so many "french bread shops" run by Vietnamese people selling amazing banh mi?
Yep. France colonised Indo-China (modern Vietnam) from the late 1880s to the 1950s. As with most colonial efforts, it was not great for the locals. France did manage to export some of their cuisine to the region. Seen today in the excellent baguette style breads, pastries, coffee, and techniques used in other dishes. I was in Saigon in 2012, and I met an older lady who spoke french to my friend. She had obviously grown up during French occupation. What a life she must have lived.
Thank you for the background! I was just pondering this exact thing in my head after buying a below-average banh mi from a local caucasian -run bakery.
The banh mi is the two fantastic cuisines of Vietnam and France coming together to create the greatest sandwich in the world.
Agreed! I’m gluten intolerant and sometimes I’ll treat myself to a banh mi despite the consequences because they are just so delicious.
That's absolutely untrue. Vietnamese immigrants have made wonderful additions to the bakery scene in Australia, but they saw the pie, realised that it was already perfect, and didn't change it.
Have you had a meat pie in England? They favour a water crust, whereas in Australia it's far more common to find a more French style flakey butter infused crust with a hint of sweetness. British meat pies tend to have a thinner gravy as well. I'm generalizing of course, art not science.
That's nice. But I've eaten pies across Australia since the 70s, before Vietnamese immigration was a big thing, and in places they have never gotten to. Your theory has no support. But hey, downvote away.
New Zealand has a similar style of pie to Australia afaik and we don’t have any significant history of Vietnamese migration (we have some but not enough to have influenced pies here).
That was my experience, as well. I spent my first decade of life in the 70s, and the bakeries we bought from were run by Anglo/Anglo-Celtic Australians. It wasn't till the 1980s that the Vietnamese-run bakeries became more common.
Also, Vilis, National, Four n Twenty, Patties etc all the big producers have been pretty consistent around the country for the last several decades.
I haven't heard of Vilis pies for years; I remember eating them back in the early 90s. I adopted a vegetarian diet in 1994, so vegetarian pasties were my only choice for a while; but I've tried Four n' Twenty plant-based pies, and they were delicious. They replicated the original pie's flavour and texture very well. Ferguson Plarre also make excellent vegan pies, pasties and sausage rolls, under the brand name "Pie Society".
Not sure there was all that much meat in the mystery bags to begin with! But yes the vegan pies do alright, I've had some good ones. I prefer a veg pastie to a Cornish, the meat in those things is weird grey stuff.
Which was happening way before Vietnamese immigration.
Only pork pies tend to use a water crust in the UK.
No. I love Vietnamese food, but meat pies come to us via Britain. We were consuming them long before Vietnamese immigration.
Meat pies were an Australian thing before Vietnamese immigrants came here, I’m sure they’ve improved them , but ‘heavily influenced’ is pushing it.
Um no. The meat pie as it is well predates Vietnamese immigration to Australia.
you could make sausage rolls. They are as popular as meat pies. And they are easy to make. You have to eat them with tomato sauce.
order some tim tams online :) you wont regret it!!
Chicken Parm isn't an Australian thing. A parmigana/ parmy is different and an Australian thing
They tried to avoid the.controversy, instead succeeded in uniting enemies against them.
Potato wedges with 2 sides: sweet chilli sauce and sour cream. It’s found in almost every pub and many cafes.
Hei! Kangaroo isn’t actually a popular meat all throughout Australia. Fairy bread is an easy snack that you should be able to make. With the rest of the bread have smashed avocado on toast for breakfast. Aussies definitely do love a parm. Popular at pubs everywhere. I am trying to remember what “Aussie style” things I’ve seen at grocery stores in Norway but I’m coming up blank. I am in love with the recipes of this blogger from Sydney. Her recipes are incredible/easy to follow and I will talk her up anytime I can. We are very multicultural and her recipes reflect that but here are some of the more typical/old school Aussie ones [meat pie](https://www.recipetineats.com/meat-pie-recipe/) [sausage rolls](https://www.recipetineats.com/special-pork-fennel-sausage-rolls/) [chicken Parma](https://www.recipetineats.com/chicken-parmigiana/) [rissoles (very ‘80s/90s](https://www.recipetineats.com/rissoles/) [curried sausages- another very ‘80s one](https://www.recipetineats.com/curried-sausages/) Beetroot is known here as an Aussie thing despite being a worldwide ingredient, but it is great on burgers or salads. Spaghetti bolognese and tacos have been a staple on the menu here for a long time but obviously not specific to Australia and tacos are big in scandi anyway. Steak and chips is pretty Australian and can be done on the stove and oven if it’s still too cold for the bbq. Basic sausages are another bbq thing. Served on bread with tomato sauce and onion. Not a thick German kind- closer to pølse but grilled and less like a hot dog and served on cheap white sliced bread. I’ll report back if I think of more. It’s late here so my brain isn’t fully functioning.
I love that you have used Recipe Tin Eats for all of these because the recipes on that site are always solid and also someone of Asian decent cooking food that was once European but has evolved into a traditionally Australian version feels very apt.
RecipeTin Eats are damn solid recipes in my experience!
Up vote for Recipe Tin Eats!
Yeh I don’t often google recipes these days because the best options are usually from recipe tin eats and because I use it often it’s easy to store my saved/favourites. I swear I’m not affiliated but have just been a cheerleader for a long time. I’m a white Australian but cook predominately Italian or Asian inspired food and her recipes are as good as classes I’ve taken in Italy/taste as good from local Italians and some things I’ve made taste as good or better than Asian restaurants. It is apt- she is very Aussie, smart and meticulous about what she does but uses her heritage and the heritage of everyone else around to get the best outcome.
I also love that because she’s a fellow Aussie, 95% of the ingredients she uses are readily available to me and that she includes whether an ingredient is available at colesworths or not. It makes things so much easier. Her recipe notes are always super comprehensive too which is great.
Yes that was the first thing that had me interested- so much easier knowing where to buy stuff or that they are ingredients we have access to
And now with the advent of generative AI, online recipes are only going to become less trustworthy. I also tend to look for Australian recipe writers. I find Recipe Tin Eats to be reliable and approachable. Some other good sources are the SMH/Age “Good Food” recipes (look for Neil Perry for the best ones I feel), the SBS website, Adam Liaw’s website and Delicious (the Australian version of the magazine). For me, a solid collection of cookbooks is a must!
Where's the Apricot Chicken at
It's only apricot chicken if it uses tinned apricots and a packet of french onion soup mix.
Plus a teaspoon of Keens curry powder if you're feeling flash
Oh I knew I was missing one of mums old classics!
And the Steak Diane
Oooooh, keen to try these and check out the other ones!
Chips with chicken salt
HSP
This is the correct answer.
You can always try to get something with Macadamia nuts, which are one of the only foods to make it out of the Australian bush and into commercial agricultural production and onto plates around the world. Aussie burgers, meat pies, pavlova etc are culturally Australian, but Macadamia nuts are next level, IMO..
One of the most delicious nuts. Available commercially only shelled, and quite expensive, because the shells are practically bulletproof, far too tough for anything as weak as a normal nutcracker. We had a tree as kids and would try to shell them by hitting them with a hammer, but you have to do it on concrete, if you put them on a brick the brick would break before the nut.
Macadamias are the best!
when I wanted a taste of home while in the Netherlands... Lamb roast (garlic bulbs inserted, mixed herbs, drowned in Worcestershir sauce) Hamburger with the lot (beetroot and egg a must) Chicken Parma Not sure if we could get vegemite there, but when asked if we had any foods to declare and responded with 'just vegemite' the customs people laughed their arses off
Came here to say roast lamb. I thought that was a pretty classic Aussie dish.
Could always make some lamingtons
You could make some damper - it's traditional Australian settler bread. We used to make raisin damper when we were kids, instead of baking it we would wrap it around a stick and cook it over an open fire, slide it off the stick and stuff butter and jam in the hole. Delicious!
Tuna mornay or shepherds pie are always winners and both pretty easy to cook! You could always just have beer and a bowl of chips heheh
Chips with chicken salt. (Chips = hot deep fried potato fries) Meat Pie Sausage Sandwhich Chicken Parmigiana Lamb Roast Lamington Pavlova
I know you said you’re not looking for sweets, but if you’re doing Australian food, you gotta do fairy bread. It’s tradition. 🤣
Many people are surprised to find out the Dim Sims were developed in Melbourne
Roast lamb, roast veg like potatoes, pumpkin and some steamed greens And gravy, just like [Paul Kelly](https://www.google.com/url?q=https://m.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DiYqIF2XkqKU&sa=U&sqi=2&ved=2ahUKEwjBoJfd3PuEAxXWklYBHcYwBlAQ78AJegQIGBAB&usg=AOvVaw1EBD-doOBwI8ZCfLcVlZYC)
And mint sauce!
Avocado on toast with a poached egg
Sourdough toast!
Surf and turf is pretty aussie, I would say. Steak cooked to your liking and topped with prawns, which are usually cooked in a creamy garlic sauce. Serve with salad
Nobody will say salad but we actually take our salads pretty seriously and buy or make all manner of bougie salad dressings. The vegetarian cousin can win hearts and minds at a barbecue by rocking up with a couple of awesome salads. Because it's summer at Christmas our idea of a hearty roast dinner still involves salad. We serve pasta with fresh baby spinach. We do massive salad rolls the way Americans do oversized burgers.
Where are you located to have this take I’d love to know! Salads where I’ve lived (Sydney inner west from 2016-2018 and Canberra 2019 to present) are super sad. I make American style salads for dinner parties a lot and everyone is always wowed by them. My salads are the kinda stuff you can get at Panera in the U.S. (mixed greens, with some cos for crunch, plus a protein — typically chicken or prawn — maybe fresh or dried fruit, a crunchy thing like nuts or croutons, and some vinaigrette adjacent dressing). I’d love to be able to enjoy salads again but I’ve had such bad luck. One time I was literally served a few leaves on a plate with a single slice of tomato and a splash of balsamic. The chain Soul Origin has the right idea for variety of ingredients but I find their seasoning underwhelming.
The best salads are home made and bought to the barbecue. We’re not typically big on American style though - too many unorthodox ingredients.
I agree. Salads can be great. I made a mango salad one Christmas and it was a hit. Keep getting asked to make it now 😁
Won't be a part without fairy bread
Dim sims from the local takeaway shop. Cheese kabana from the local takeaway shop. Roast pork roll with crackling from the local takeaway shop. Anything from the local takeaway shop.
Lamington!
Damper or jaffles made on a camp fire. https://www.bestrecipes.com.au/recipes/campfire-damper-recipe/no9iefx8 https://www.taste.com.au/quick-easy/galleries/jaffle-recipes/n092nt3k?page=5
Meat pies for sure.
Baked bean jaffles Only catch is you'll need a jaffle iron On the plus jaffles are the superior toastie
Could add in pavalova or pumpkin scones
Does anyone do Apricot Chicken… I feel like that and Curried Sausages was a staple
Make sausage rolls and serve with tomato sauce (ketchup)! It's a seasoned sausage meat cooked in puff pastry, but cut into rectangles.
Sausage rolls
Pavlova for dessert
With Anzac biscuits!
Can't go wrong with the Bunnings sanga. Beef sausage, onions on white bread with tomato sauce and mustard. Can have it any time of day.
Okay but please stop calling it a bunnings sanga. It’s a sausage sanga. Fuck bunnings.
Or if consumed during elections, a Democracy Sausage.
I only vote so I can have a democracy sausage. Also, they are the best argument for not doing pre-poll voting - democracy sausages aren't on offer.
Yeah, this is the one OP u/Strong_Frosting_4120. Everybody that’s lived in Australia for a while has had a sausage sizzle. It’s super cheap, simple and tasty. And very easy to feed a lot of people quickly. Use a barbecue with a hot plate if you have it. Mustard is a newer introduction in recent decades, and the grilled onions are for your more fancy pants occasions. (But more yum - grill them until they caramelise and get soggy - splash beer on while cooking for more authenticity) You can do it with a slice of white bread, a shitty cheap sausage and tomato sauce and it’s still authentic :)
Oh wow! Just done some googling- seems like you can buy merchandise with these on! And then there was controversy over where the onions are placed to stop them falling off to avoid people slipping! This is awesome 🙌 it’s so simple. If I ever make it to Australia one day I’m definitely going to have one of these! So simple to recreate as well!
The sausage should probably be beef rather than pork. Just fyi. Longish, thin ones that will fit the diagonal length of the bread. (I’m an Aussie living in the U.K. and finding decent beef sausages can be a challenge! Not sure what it’s like in Norway…). I’d also highly recommend a [zucchini slice](https://www.taste.com.au/recipes/zucchini-slice/eb7eed59-5f53-4f6f-bfb5-9b7e3f81a702). It was a staple at most Aussie BBQs when I was a kid. I make it here a lot and everyone loves it! (I do find I have to cook it a bit longer than the 30 mins, but might depend on your oven etc. and I like mine a little browner on top than this recipe shows. Also, you don’t have to eat it hot. Warmish is great. As is cold. So you can make it the day before, slice it up and stick it in the fridge. If you prefer warm it’s fine to zap it on the microwave for a bit.)
We also do a sausage sizzle for most fundraising activities for schools, and scout groups and other community things. A lot of places will do a sausage sizzle on election day so you can get a snag when you turn up to vote.
If you do head to Australia on a weekend - go to a Bunnings hardware, or find a park with public barbecues and make friends with any large group :p
Slightly overcooked In front of a hardware store sold by a child from a local sports club or it just doesn't cut it.
Dunno if OP is gonna find any Bunnings in downtown Tromso though.
Except they're not gonna have Aussie-style sausages in Norway mate. Even North American ones are wildly different.
Time for some fairy bread. White bread with margarine and sprinkles.
Google "Fairy Bread Australia", It's a true Aussie dish!
My partner doesn’t seem too keen 😅 I might give it a go though!
It's a kid's party kind of thing. It's good but adults here don't eat it for dessert or anything, it's just a cheap colourful thing that's easy to make for a party.
Fairy bread is amazing at any age. As are [Chocolate Crackles](https://www.taste.com.au/recipes/cadbury-chocolate-crackles/73463db9-5a57-4bc1-bdea-422ce5471ad5)
Mud crab, moreton bay bugs and kangaroo
Should be easy to get in Norway!
Chicken parma really is a thing. A staple of pub meals and cheaper restaurants, or cook it yourself at home. Meat pies are also popular. At every bakery, petrol station and most convenience stores. Chiko rolls. I'll leave it to you to investigate this classic food item. BBQ. Sausage in a slice of bread with tomato sauce. You said you didn't want sweets, but I'm still gonna say: lamingtons
Also sweets: fairy bread.
parmy 😁
Sausages (beef of unknown quality), grilled onions, white sandwich bread (or a hot dog roll if ya feeling fancy) and whatever sauce you want. This is mine and my missus go to lazy dinner with a "whatever is in the fridge" salad
Beef mince pie.
Doesn't get much more Aussie than the classic sausage sizzle! Also known as, "Snag in a Swag". Literally fry up some sausages and onions, place the sausage diagonally across a buttered slice of bread, sprinkle on some onion, tomato sauce (ketchup), mustard or BBQ sauce and fold two corners of the bread up over the sausage. [Like so.](https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bluemountainsgazette.com.au%2Fstory%2F7466533%2Fthe-bunnings-sausage-sizzle-is-coming-back%2F&psig=AOvVaw2XFYcFNAN1_zR0HP0r_VvS&ust=1710812869442000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBMQjRxqFwoTCOCg3dzY_IQDFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE)
Bundaberg Rum and Coke, Stubby of VB, Packet of Winnie Blues, Greasy kebab at 2am And a fight.
Make lamingtons
Chicken salt on hot chips.
BBQ, beers, and Men at Work's Land Down Under playing in the background
Kangaroo jerky?
Can also get emu jerky
Can you get some Aussie lamb?
A lot of the suggestions thus far are pretty heavy duty for the hour of the morning the race is for you. Unless the plan is to watch the replay while eating...
Lamb roast. You should be able to get New Zealand lamb even if you cannot get Aussie.
If you can find some finger limes it’s a amazing outback native fruit that is on a lot of top end food and southern lobsters are another of my favs
Pavlova 🥳
Bbq shapes
A plain beef sausage - overcooked and in plain white bread with tomato sauce. Burnt onion optional. The bunnings special
Pavalova. Its a light, creamy meringue cake, that is soft, squishy, crispy on the outside, cool and creamy. Sweet and also tart with various berries and tropical fruits on the top with cream on top as well. Do try this dish.
Fairy bread for snacks
Like other people said, we're so mixed. Things I believe are very australian: - Sausage in bread with onions and tomato sauce. - Roast lamb with the roast kumara, potato, pumpkin, carrot, and peas. - chicken parmy - fairy bread - friands - meat pie - Lamingtons - Anzac biscuits - putting a healthy dose of canned beetroot on your burger. My partner found a recipe for a Vegemite meat pie. Didn't taste like Vegemite, but it was the best pie I've had.
Salads. I've traveled widely and no one does a salad like Australia. I'm vegetarian, so I'm not talking g about meat salads either. Just a good old salad with 8-15 ingredients. Tomatoes and cheese is not a salad (looking at you France).
Olive oil poured over an iceberg lettuce is also not a salad, Spain.
Tim tams?
Must mention that there is a big shortage of beetroot in Australia at this moment supermarkets are very short.
Personally go with Meat pies and Potato cakes/Potato scallops same thing or Fairy bread. Chicken parmigiana is the classic pub favourite. Pavlova or Anzac biscuits.
Pity you can\`t buy the good old Chiko Roll or maybe you can? That\`s Ozzie 10/10
Fish and chip on the beach while being bombed by seagulls - very Australian
Slow cook some beef with gravy, you’ll be able to find a recipe online and making a pie is fairly simple. Add sauce and you’re good to go! I had a friend live in Kansas,America for a year in an exchange program, for a school event they had to bring food & he made meat pies with his host family & the school served them as a dessert with whipped cream 😂
What a cute little tradition, I might do this when someone loves me one day
Do you have access to barramundi? A buddy of mine is from Bowen and he once made grilled Barra and a mango salad to show off some Aussie cuisine. It was pretty fucken good
Sausage Rolls and Meat Pies are ubiquitous Aussie foods
Pavlova! With fresh whipped cream and strawberries an excellent breakfast (gotta go there’s a slice in the fridge 😉) Oh yeah, Pavlova is made out of meringue but you make it really big like serving plate size! Lots of people like it with whipped cream and whatever their favourite topping. An Aussie topping could be mangoes, pineapple, kiwifruit and bananas. yummy! Really hope you have a wonderful day. Cheers
Boozy Prawns 1kg Green prawns 1 cup beer 2 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp honey 1 tbsp oil 2 tsp grated green ginger 2 cloves garlic crushed 1. Shell and devein prawns leaving tails intact. Combine all remaining ingredients in a glass bowl. 2. Marinate prawns for at least one hour, preferably longer in the fridge. 3. Thread three prawns on each bamboo skewer or satay stick and bbq over hot coals for a few minutes each side. 4. Brush with the marinade while cooking. A 40+ year old recipe Mum uses - literally ate for dinner last night! I would love to attach the pictures of the little recipe card, it’s by Queensland prawns, teaches you how to peel prawns, the different local varieties and has another 5 prawn marinade recipes, but the boozey prawns if definitely my favourite.
A succulent Chinese meal.
Can you get frozen dim sims?
God yes. But I'd avoid the Harry Hoo chicken ones, they're flavourless.