How to Eat Like an Australian

While it is hard to define or characterize Australian food, due to a range of international influences, there are a few important culinary items that one should know about before visiting and be prepared to eat. Being accustomed to standard beverages, favorite snack foods and popular dinner choices will make travel to Australia much smoother if you know what to expect and what to try ahead of time.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. For breakfast, have a simple bowl of Weetabix, large wheat biscuits that are eaten like cereal with milk. If you are in the mood for something more filling, try a traditional Australian breakfast, consisting of eggs, meat, grilled tomato and baked beans on toast.
2. For a caffeine fix, choose from four main coffee beverages, a flat white, latte, cappuccino or long black. A flat white is similar to a latte but without any foam, and a long black is like an “Americano”--espresso with hot water added. Standard cups of coffee are not available.
3. Australian sandwiches are usually made with butter on the bread instead of toppings like mayonnaise or mustard. Vegemite, the Australian original, is a yeast paste that is spread into the butter and served as a sandwich by itself or with another topping. A simple salad roll, which is a basic vegetarian combination of lettuce, tomato and cheese, is also popular.
4. For dessert, snack on Tim Tams, the favorite Australian snack cookie. Composed of two layers of chocolate biscuit, or cookie, with a filling between and an outer layer of chocolate covering. Tim Tams come in varieties such as Caramel, Mocha, Chocolate Orange or Double Chocolate. Opt for a Lamington, the official Australian bake sale favorite, made with sponge cake soaked in chocolate and covered in coconut. A filling of strawberry, lemon or cream is usually sandwiched between two cake layers. Additionally, sticky toffee pudding, traditionally a British dessert, is also popular. The pudding is made with a sponge cake soaked in toffee sauce and covered with dates.
5. Try kangaroo meat. Fillets, steaks and “bangas” or sausages, are available in most supermarkets. The meat is low in fat and high in iron and protein and extremely popular for barbecues or “barbies” in Australia.
6. Grab a meat pie or sausage roll. These are sold at bakeries, convenience stores, cafes and grocery stores. Meat pies are mini pastry pies filled with minced meat, usually beef, pork or lamb, and gravy. Sausage rolls are made of sausage meat wrapped in puff pastry. They are usually dipped in ketchup (“tomato sauce”) or barbecue sauce.
7. Sample a beer from each of Australia’s six states. From New South Wales try Toohey’s New, from Victoria try Victoria Bitter, from Queensland try XXXX, from South Australia try Coopers or Southwark, from Tasmania try Cascade or James Boags and from Western Australia try Emu or Swan.