A guide to Australian cuisine
Despite all that is desired of modern Australian cooking by modern Australians we still do not have a cuisine of our own and it is highly unlikely, in my opinion, that we ever will. That is not to say we do not have a wealth of talented. world class chefs and restaurants. We do – and why should we not be happy with that. But they do not represent a cuisine as such as say the French, the Italians and remarkably the entire Asian continent, province by country individually does.
Fusion happens to food in Australia these days, across the board. At the high end of the market, in some cases Asian flavors and techniques are used to wrap good Australian produce into aromatic, often crunchy and pleasing to the eye packages, a delight to eat but with too much focus on the aesthetics of the culture from which, in essence the dish was stolen. The quality of the protein is often the only difference if we are to forgive the heritage less execution or non understanding of some chefs. The same happens with Australia/Italian.
Honest Asian, honest French and honest Italian is available and at world class standards almost anywhere in Australia.
However, if you want something of the actual Ozzy culture, if in Sydney make your way to Wollamoloo behind the Sydney Art gallery and visit “Harry’s Cafe de Wheels,” and order a pie floater. The Cafe is a caravan and you have to sit on a bench near by or on the grass in the park. A Pie Floater is a bowl of home made split pea and ham soup with a chunky beef pie floating in it topped with BBQ sauce. I guess it’s a take on the British pie and mushy peas thing but does take a significant leap from there I believe and does make it uniquely Australian for that.
A good pub or club will include on its menu, lambs fry and bacon, crumbed brains, tripe in white sauce and other offal dishes. Dishes that were cheap and tasty and graced the tables at large in this country many years ago when times were tough.
These days, unfortunately they are not cheap but along with Ox tail, which the Italiand do deliciously also, they remain popular. Here anyways.
High end cuisine is pretty much the same in all countries. It’s the peasant food that differs.
Restaurants in Australia Craft a Culture of Cuisine
April 2, 2009 by admin
Filed under Restaurants
Australia has among the most diversed cultures in the world. The good thing is, Australia has kept its cultural diversity preserved, while people live together in harmony.
The same thing goes with their cuisine. Australian cuisine inherited its nature from British cooking. From pies, to grilled meat chops, slightly cooked veggies, and chips, Australian food has evolved progressively. It is now able to accommodate the dishes from the varied cultures in their land. Modern Australia is a term coined for it that includes the embrace of their multicultural culinary influences. Ever since the fusion of varied cultural dishes, the best restaurants in Australia have taken Mediterranean, and Asian cuisines to be part of their serving menu.
In the cities, you can find several eat-in and take-away Asian food shops that offer a multitude of Indian and Chinese dishes. This has resulted from the high count of Asian immigration to Australia, and of course the long existence of the Chinese community in Australia.
Still popular choices among Aussies are the American food chains such as KFC, Pizza Hut, Subway, and McDonalds. Australian restaurants have also came up with their own versions of fast food eat shops like Chicken Treat, Eagle Boys pizza chain, and Red Rooster. The most common food that you can order in fast food stores is the “Australian Hamburger”. This has become an iconic food item in Australia as this offers a wide variety of hamburger fillings anyone can choose from. Obviously, the persistence of fast food chains remains to be a legacy of Australia’s British traditions.
As Aussies enjoy a laid-back lifestyle, it is no doubt that they indulge in good culinary offers during the week. There are several good places to dine in Australia’s varied food shops. The best restaurants in Sydney and Melbourne are often listed in restaurant guides and directories to help you decide where to have a hearty meal. Whether you want it simple and common Australian food, or a different flavor of another culture’s dish, the best restaurants in Australia are able to accommodate multicultural cravings.
