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Contemporary Australian cuisine is exotic, original and diverse. And also a whole kaleidoscope of hearty, healthy and incredibly tasty dishes brought from almost all over the world and peacefully coexisting on the same continent for hundreds of years.
Interestingly, Australia’s culinary traditions were dictated, first of all, by the history of the country itself. Initially, this land was inhabited by aborigines. Very little is known about their eating habits. But over time, immigrants from all over the world began to appear here, who, one way or another, brought with them pieces of their homeland. Among them were recipes for your favorite dishes.
Today the population of Australia is about 23 million. Most of them are Europeans. Among them are the British, French, Greeks, Germans, Italians and representatives of other nationalities. In addition, there are many people from Asia, Russia, America, and oceanic islands in Australia. In the family of each of them, they honor their native culinary traditions, only slightly adapting them to existing conditions.
This is why some deny the existence of authentic Australian cuisine. Explaining this by the fact that instead of it, natively British, German, French, Turkish, Moroccan, Chinese and Italian dishes and not only “get along” on the territory of the country.
In fact, it’s not like that. Indeed, in its pure form, such a neighborhood is simply impossible. This became especially noticeable only over time, when fundamentally new dishes began to appear, based on world-famous, but slightly modified recipes. Most often, these were Mediterranean dishes, which were seasoned with Thai spices and vice versa.
Soon, such adaptations made it possible to talk about the emergence of a new unique cuisine, harmoniously combining the culinary traditions of cuisines from around the world. Of course, it was about the Australian national cuisine.
Interestingly, the world started talking about it only at the end of the 90s, when restaurants began to open in all Australian cities, offering their visitors to taste many delicious Australian dishes. By the way, they won the love of their loyal visitors thanks to their abundance and cheapness.
Analyzing the modern cuisine of Australia, I must say that all types of meat are very fond of here. Birds, pigs, calves, crocodiles, emus, kangaroos or possums – its appearance does not matter to the locals. The main thing is excellent taste. Also locals love dairy products, fish and seafood, vegetables and fruits. By the way, thanks to immigrants and favorable weather conditions, almost everything is grown here – from blackberries, kiwi, potatoes, pumpkins, tomatoes and cucumbers to kwandong (desert peach), Tasmanian apples and pears, limes, avocados and papaya. Along with this, pizza, pasta, cereals, various sauces and spices, mushrooms, legumes and all kinds of nuts are loved in Australia. And even larvae and beetles, from which real delicacies are prepared in some restaurants. The preferred drink in Australia is coffee, teas, wine and beer. You can even find Russian beer in many places.
The main cooking methods:
The peculiarity of Australian cuisine is that it is conducive to experimentation, thanks to which the “signature” dishes of the national Australian cuisine appeared. Moreover, in each state they are different. But the most popular of them are:
Meat pie is the hallmark of Australian cuisine. This is a palm-sized pie filled with minced meat or minced meat.
Australian meat pie with garnish.
Vegemite is a paste made from yeast extract. Salty, slightly bitter in taste. The product is used as a spread for buns, toasts and crackers.
B-B-Q. Australians love fried meat, which is consumed both on ordinary days and on holidays.
Pea soup + pie, or float pie.
Kenguryatina, which was used by local aborigines from time immemorial. It is very delicate and contains a high percentage of linoleic acid. Now among the Australians themselves, kenguryat is in low demand and about 70% of all production is exported to other countries as a rare delicacy.
Fish and chips, a dish from the UK. It consists of deep-fried potatoes and fish pieces.
Barracuda.
Pavlova is a traditional Australian dessert, a cake made from meringue and fruits. This dish is named after one of the most famous ballerinas of the XNUMXth century – Anna Pavlova.
Anzac – cookies based on coconut flakes and oatmeal. It is worth noting that ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) Day is celebrated in New Zealand and Australia on April 25 to commemorate the victims of civilians in all military conflicts.
Lamington is a sponge cake covered with coconut flakes and chocolate ganache. The treat is named after Charles Wallis Alexander Napier Cochrane-Baillie, who was Baron of Lamington.
Tim Tam.
Elven bread is a toast, buttered and sprinkled with colorful dragees.
Health benefits of Australian cuisine
Residents of Australia began to pay great attention to their health and promote a healthy lifestyle and proper nutrition only in the last few years, when the country started talking about the problem of obesity. It arose because of the great love of the locals for fried meat and fast food. However, now the type and quality of consumed products is being closely monitored here.
However, according to research conducted as part of the project The Global Burden of Diseases in 2010, Australia was among the ten healthiest countries in the world. She took 6th place in terms of life expectancy and quality of life for men, and 9th in terms of life expectancy and quality of life for women.
It is worth noting that in recent years Australia has been experiencing a high standard of living. And its average duration is 82 years.