Australian cuisine: useful properties, popular dishes

• October 8, 2018
• Second courses
• Alexander Nedashkovsky

Each country can boast of its own national dishes, the recipes of which have been developed over centuries. What can you say about Australian cuisine? Many people believe that Australian dishes are a mix of English, Mediterranean and other cuisines. Is it really?

History of development

Culinary experts note that Australian cuisine was formed under the influence of Italian, Chinese and English. In the most amazing way, it combines eastern and western traditions, as well as the unusual gastronomic preferences of the aborigines.

It is worth noting that the culinary traditions of the entire continent are connected with the history of the country’s development. The first inhabitants of Australia were the Aborigines. There is not much information left about their taste preferences. Subsequently, immigrants from various countries began to gather on the coast of the mainland, and in the process of communication they began to exchange recipes for their favorite dishes.

According to experts, at the end of the twentieth century, the period of maximum flowering of Australian cuisine began. It was during this period that restaurants specializing in traditional dishes of the country began to appear in different parts of the continent. Thanks to the large selection of Australian national dishes and affordable prices, the establishments very quickly won everyone's love.

But it is worth noting that experts have completely different attitudes towards the phenomenon of Australian cooking. Some believe that the country’s national cuisine has developed on the basis of the best dishes from around the world, and in the future its development will follow the intended path. Other experts deny the existence of Australian cuisine altogether. They justify their opinion by the fact that French, Chinese, British, German and other dishes simultaneously exist in the country. Of course, they interact with each other. Based on existing traditions, completely new food appears, based on long-known recipes. Therefore, there is no need to talk about independent Australian national cuisine.

It’s difficult to say which expert is right. And yet, the article will present the main features of local cuisine.

Culinary festivals

On the Australian continent and Oceania, you can often attend various culinary festivals, where national dishes and various wines are tasted, and you can also observe and take part in the birth of the newest culinary masterpieces. In Tasmania, the most famous festival begins at the beginning of winter, where local and international cuisine is presented. Large Australian cities host a culinary wine and food festival in early spring, which attracts famous chefs from all over the world. In the city of Queensland they prefer to organize beer festivals. Beer lovers take great pleasure in traveling to the Australian continent to enjoy the unique taste of locally produced beer.

Gastronomic preferences of local residents

Analyzing the features of dishes, it is worth highlighting the main features of local cuisine:

1. Australians love meat. It would seem that what is surprising here? Which person doesn't like meat? However, we are not talking about the varieties that are familiar to us - beef, lamb, pork, turkey or chicken. In Australia, they eat the meat of kangaroos, possums, emus and crocodiles. Ostrich meat is not even a delicacy. This is the most common food for local residents.
2. Fruits and vegetables are the basis of the Australian diet. The favorable climate of the continent contributes to the cultivation of a huge number of gifts of nature. Australia has not only cucumbers, tomatoes and potatoes, but also exotic fruits - lime, papaya, avocado, desert peach, Tasmanian pears and much more. The entire assortment is simply innumerable.
3. The Australian continent is located on the border of two oceans and has several seas. That’s why there is a lot of seafood in the country. They are present in large quantities in the population's diet. All kinds of oysters, scallops, shrimp, crabs, lobsters and other seafood are sold here. And shark meat is generally a familiar product for Australians.
4. Dairy products are no less popular here - cheeses, yoghurts, milk. But the cottage cheese we are used to is not here.

It’s worth remembering the food of the local aborigines, which seems absolutely fantastic to our tourists. Each state of the huge country has its own signature dish. For example, the most delicious oysters are prepared in Sydney. And in Tasmania you can taste the best salmon.

Historical information

The dawn of Australian cuisine came at the end of the 20th century, and its history goes back just over 200 years. During this time, the national cuisine of this country has undergone many changes. Now it amazes with its diversity.

English settlers organized the first settlement on the mainland and brought their food traditions to a foreign land. For example, it is still customary in the cold regions of Australia to serve a high-calorie English breakfast.

Later, emigrants from other countries added their national traditions to the cuisine of the mainland. Thus, it became multinational, but its basis remained Aboriginal cooking. It's called "bush food". It contains products of Australian origin:

• kangaroo;
• emu;
• crocodiles;
• opossum.

Popular New Year's dishes in the English tradition in Australia have become roast turkey, ham, chicken with a side dish and plum pudding for dessert.

Experts say modern Australian cuisine will shape the future of the global culinary industry.

Meat

The most popular type of meat in Australia is beef. It is prepared everywhere. But there are no less fans of kangaroo meat in the country. This meat is stewed, fried, and used as a filling for dumplings and pies. And he considers kangaroo tail to be the most delicious delicacy.

The Australian diet includes ostrich meat, turkey, chicken and pork. The most common and popular dish on the continent is Melbourne chicken. This food is nothing more than chicken breasts and legs fried in olive oil and then stewed in white wine and tomato juice.

Most often, meat in Australia is cooked on a barbecue. Such equipment is available not only in every family, but also installed in every park and beach.

Australians also actively use crocodile meat. This seems incredible to us. But for locals, ordering a crocodile steak is a common thing. How do Australians prepare this dish? Reptile meat is prepared in the same way as chicken; the taste of these two types of products is very similar. The pulp is cut and stewed with spices, adding wine, or boiled. Crocodile is used to prepare roasts and broths. Its meat is white and tender, and locals love it very much because it is low in calories.

Meat pie: ingredients

What do they eat in Australia? As we already mentioned, locals love meat dishes. One of the most popular dishes is Australian meat pie.

Filling ingredients:

1. Beef fillet – 350 g.
2. Garlic, onion.
3. Worcestershire sauce.
4. Pepper mixture.
5. Flour.
6. Thyme.
7. Mushrooms – 250 g.
8. Vegetable oil.
9. Puff pastry.

For the dough (short pastry):

1. 1.5 cups flour.
2. Ice water.
3. Salt.
4. Oil drain. – 130 g.

Shrimp wanderings

The proximity of the ocean has a noticeable effect on Australian cuisine. Hence the abundance of seafood snacks. Fry 2-3 crushed cloves of garlic in oil with 500-600 g of shrimp. We will leave a few of the largest ones for decoration. Cut 3 avocados in half, remove the seeds and pulp, just short of the skin. Mix chopped shrimp, 5-6 gherkins, a shallot, 1 boiled and diced potato and avocado pulp. Add 3 tbsp to the mix. l. mayonnaise, 2 tsp. mustard, add some salt and fill the avocado boats. The boats can be sprinkled with lime or lemon juice - the delicious appetizer is ready to appear before home gourmets in all its glory.

Meat Pie Recipe

In Australia, meat pies are usually prepared using two types of dough. The filling is usually a mixture of stewed beef and mushrooms. You can make shortcrust pastry yourself, but it’s easier to buy puff pastry. Australians prepare small portioned pies or decent-sized baked goods. The dish is served with cream soup.

Beef meat is cut into pieces and rolled in pepper and flour, adding a little salt. Breaded slices are fried in vegetable oil. After the meat acquires a golden hue, add chopped onions, thyme leaves, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, and a little broth. The products are stewed until cooked.

Soften butter (room temperature) with a fork and mix with salt and flour. The mass is kneaded and ice water is added. The dough is kneaded by hand until elastic, and then put in the refrigerator.

After the filling has cooled, you can begin to form the pie. The dough is divided into two parts. Each one must be rolled out into a thin layer. The dimensions of the blanks should correspond to your baking molds. A thin layer is laid on the bottom, forming sides. Next, lay out the filling. Cover the top of the pie with a puff pastry lid. If desired, the top part of the product can be brushed with egg and sprinkled with sesame seeds. Next, put the pie in the oven. On average, baked goods take 20 minutes to prepare.

Soft-boiled potatoes

Australian cuisine is unthinkable without potatoes. It costs local chefs nothing to turn it into a tempting snack. Boil 6-8 potatoes with skins until tender. When they have cooled, carefully flatten them with a plate. Grease each flatbread with butter and sprinkle with a mixture of a bunch of dill and 2-3 cloves of garlic. Sprinkle them with soy sauce, generously sprinkle with grated cheese and wrap in foil. In this form, place the cakes in an oven preheated to 180°C for 15–20 minutes. As a result, the aromatic velvety potatoes will be covered with an amazing crispy crust that no one can resist. You can also prepare Australian-style potatoes according to the recipe of our author Irina.

Summer salad: ingredients

Since fruits and vegetables are available year-round on the Green Continent, salads occupy a fairly large place in the menu of the local population. There are an incredible number of similar dishes. The article will give only one example of such a summer salad.

Ingredients:

1. Tomatoes – 5 pcs.
2. Cucumbers – 3 pcs.
3. Mayonnaise.
4. Two varieties of salad.
5. Celery.
6. Ham – 8 slices.
7. Two apples.
8. Orange fresh.

Useful properties and contraindications

Fun fact: despite its eclecticism, Australian cuisine is considered one of the healthiest in the world. It is not for nothing that the Green Continent entered the top 10 healthiest countries according to The Global Burden of Diseases project, ranking sixth in terms of life expectancy and quality of life for men and ninth in terms of similar criteria for women.

It should be noted that one of the healthiest ingredients in the Australian diet is kangaroo meat. Firstly, it is considered an environmentally friendly product, since animals are not exposed to any chemicals. In addition, the mass fraction of fat in it is only 2% - while in beef this figure reaches twenty percent. Also, kangaroo meat boasts a complete absence of “bad” cholesterol and a high content of very healthy polyunsaturated fatty acids.

The presence of seafood in the diet allows you to saturate the body with micro- and macroelements.

However, most Australian dishes have no contraindications. Nevertheless, nutritionists recommend that tourists, at least in the initial stages of their stay on the Green Continent, not get too carried away with local exotics - manifestations of individual intolerance are likely.

Beef soup

How to make Australian soup? The first courses are prepared with meat and seafood.

Ingredients:

1. Beef – 450 g.
2. Onion.
3. Four potatoes.
4. Tomato paste.
5. Carrot.
6. Garlic.
7. Caraway.
8. Thyme.
9. Two celery stalks.
10. Bay leaf.
11. Sour cream.
12. Salt.

Cut the meat into small pieces and set to simmer. Cut the onion into half rings, garlic and carrots into circles, and celery and potatoes into cubes. After the broth boils, you need to skim off the foam and add the carrots and onions. Cook the soup for five minutes. Then add thyme, bay leaf, tomato paste and cook the broth for about an hour (until the meat is soft). Add celery and potatoes 10 minutes before cooking. When serving the soup, you can add sour cream.

Aboriginal cuisine

Aboriginal cuisine in Australia, also known as bush food, has recipes that have remained unchanged for centuries. This is dumper - a special bread that is fried over coals, kangaroo meat in all forms.

A special delicacy is the charcoal-grilled vicchetti larvae, an insect known to entomologists as the gypsy moth. Gourmets claim that this strange dish tastes like scrambled eggs with nuts and mozzarella. In addition, wild potatoes and burrawon groundnuts are used in Aboriginal cuisine, as well as crocodile tails and stingray meat.

Burger recipe

In a deep bowl, mix the minced meat, egg, pepper, two tablespoons of ketchup, and salt. Knead the mixture well with your hands and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Then we divide the workpiece into equal parts and form a flat cutlet from each. Fry them in vegetable oil. During cooking, place a slice of cheese on one side of the cutlet, then cover the pan with a lid. In just a couple of minutes the cheese will melt.

Next we need a grill pan. Fry the burger bun halves on a dry surface. Cook the eggs in a clean frying pan. Fry them until the yolk sets. Using a mold, cut out fried egg circles.

Next, you need to fry the bacon in a frying pan. Once it's cooked, the fat can be used to fry the onions and pineapple rings. All components are ready, which means you can start assembling the burger. On half a bun we place a leaf of lettuce, a slice of tomato, a cutlet, onion and bacon, as well as a piece of pineapple and a fried egg. Grease the second part of the bun with ketchup. The burger is ready.

Dessert

Some of the Australians' preferences may seem strange to us. For example, local children love “elven bread”. What do you think it is? The delicacy is served at all children's events. According to local residents, elves eat the most ordinary bread and butter, decorated with colored sugar beads. For Europeans, such a dessert can hardly be called a delicacy.

A true culinary symbol of Australia can be called the lamington cake. The dessert got its name from Baron Lamington, who was the governor of one of the states of the country. Legend has it that he did not approve of the cake. But to this day, housewives prepare dessert for children. A Lamington is a simple sponge cake with a layer of lemon jam inside. The delicacy is decorated with chocolate glaze and coconut flakes on top.

Frog cupcakes are no less popular in Australia. The name of the dessert comes from the shape of the pastry, which resembles the head of a frog. Sponge cakes with cream are covered with colored glaze.

The most famous cake on the continent is the beautifully named Pavlova. The dessert got its name from the surname of the ballerina Anna Pavlova, who visited the country on tour at the beginning of the last century. The cake is made from light meringue with whipped cream, passion fruit and strawberries.

BBQ in Australia

Barbecue dishes have been familiar to Australians since 1920. The term itself came from the West Indies and was associated with holding an event in the open air, at which roasted meat was certainly prepared. This term, used in Western Australia, described the process of preparing meat dishes for a public event. One of the largest such events took place in 1934 at the Laverton base, during the celebration of the centenary of the signing of the treaty by John Batman, who issued a deed for the lands of Melbourne. 20 young bulls were roasted over an open fire.

Since 1940, the tradition of holding events with cooking sausages and chops over an open fire has become more intimate. Even though barbecues were done in public parks, they became a family tradition. A decade later, barbecue has become an attribute of every Australian home. Unnecessary formalities were eliminated.

In the 70s of the twentieth century, the range of barbecue ingredients expanded to cutlets and sausages, shrimp, scallops, chicken and quail.