Cuisine

Australian and New Zealand

British-rooted home cooking (pies, roasts, baking) transformed by post-war immigration into produce-led 'Modern Australian' food, with growing attention to Indigenous ingredients and a strong café culture.

Flavour character: Fresh and produce-led: grilled meat and seafood, bright Asian and Mediterranean seasonings, buttery baking and sweet golden-syrup treats; Indigenous flavours such as lemon myrtle and wattleseed in modern cooking.

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A visually appealing display of mini Pavlovas topped with strawberries and blueberries, perfect for events.

History

Aboriginal Australians have lived on and managed the continent's foods for tens of thousands of years, using seeds, yams, game, fish and plants such as wattleseed and macadamia. British colonisation from 1788 brought wheat, sheep, cattle and a diet of meat, damper and tea. Post-1945 migration from Italy, Greece, Lebanon, Vietnam, China and elsewhere reshaped urban eating and led to the eclectic 'Mod Oz' style. New Zealand shares much of this history, with Māori cooking (hāngī earth ovens, kūmara) at its root. Pavlova and the flat white are both claimed by each country.

Commonly told; not firmly documented

Geography and influences

Australia is a dry continent with fertile coastal fringes and tropical north; New Zealand is temperate and green. Both produce outstanding lamb, beef, dairy, seafood and fruit.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander foodways
Māori cooking
British and Irish settlers
Mediterranean and Asian immigrants

Regional variations

Australian cities: Café culture, Mod Oz restaurants and strong Vietnamese, Greek, Italian and Lebanese food scenes.
Northern Australia: Tropical fruit, barramundi and bush foods.
New Zealand: Lamb, kūmara, seafood (green-lipped mussels, whitebait), Māori hāngī.