Our TOP TEN Favourite Aussie Foods – and your guide to making a couple of them!
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One of the great things about food is that it’s inseparable from a nation’s identity. The snacks and meals that one grew up eating, including the process of making them, can tell you a lot about a person’s roots. We learn to value and appreciate the flavours we are accustomed to tasting so much that taking them away wouldn't feel the same– it wouldn’t feel like home.
Image Credit: IStock
And so, as a way to honour Australian food culture, we compiled a list of our favourite, iconic dishes that will hopefully take you on a nostalgic journey and inspire you to cook maybe one or two of them for the first time in maybe a while.
1. Fairy Bread
Fairy bread has been around for decades as it’s incredibly easy to make and never fails to bring a smile to childrens’ faces. Is a kid’s party truly complete without these?
Image Credit: Sweetest Menu
All you need is a loaf of white bread, butter, and 100’s and 1000’s. Generously cover your slice of bread with butter (or margarine) and dazzle it up with 100’s and 1000’s. Easy-peasy, eh?
Pair it with a hot cuppa and relive your precious childhood memories!
2. Meat Pies
Even the smallest towns in the country have at least one bakery whipping up a good ol’ meat pie. There’s nothing quite like the smell of these savoury bites fresh from the oven.
If you need a quick refresher on how to make a mouthwatering batch of these, we’ve got you covered. But first, you’ll need to get your hands on the following ingredients:
1. A tablespoon of olive oil
2. One bulb of brown onion, finely chopped
3. 500 grams of extra lean beef mince
4. A tablespoon of cornflour
5. Three quarters a cup of Masselbeef stock
6. Three quarters a cup of tomato sauce
7. Two tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
8. A tablespoon of barbecue sauce
9. A tablespoon of Vegemite
10. Two sheets of frozen shortcrust pastry, thawed
11. Two sheets of frozen puff pastry, thawed
12. A single egg, beaten
Start by heating the olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat and drop in the finely chopped onion. Saute for three minutes before adding the beef mince. Let both ingredients cook for four minutes, stirring occasionally until the meat turns brown.
Add in a tablespoon of cornflour and only a tablespoon of Massel beef stock (for now) to form a paste. Then, add the rest of the stock along with the three sauces and vegemite to mince. Bring the mixture to a boil before lowering the heat to medium-low and letting it simmer for 8 minutes or until thick. After that, let it cool down.
Image Credit: Taste.au
While waiting, preheat your oven to 220 degrees celsius. Grab a four by eight-centimetre base measurement pie pan and grease it liberally.
Moving on, cut a shortcrust pastry into four by fifteen-centimetre circles. Place the circles over the bases and sides of the pan and proceed by filling them with the mince and then brushing the rims with water.
Cut another set of four by fifteen-centimetre circles from the puff pastry to place over the meat. Seal the pies with a quick pinch around the sides, trim to your liking, and brush the top over with egg. Add a little salt and pepper if you wish before placing the pies onto a baking tray and pop them in the oven!
Let them bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until they are perfectly golden brown. Serve on a tray and enjoy!
3. Tim Tams
An all-time favourite and maybe even Australia’s most loved chocolate biscuit. Arnott’s Tim Tam biscuits landed on supermarkets’ shelves back in the 1960s and effortlessly stole our hearts since. It’s been said to be found in one in every two households!
Image Credit: Australian Food Shop
Although the original flavour is still widely preferred, there have been many varieties to the snack ranging from chewy caramel to choc orange. It doesn’t get much more Aussie than this!
4. Chicken Parmigiana
From a restaurant dish to a pub staple, the iconic chicken parmy (or parma) just has to be a part of this list. If you’ve been craving for a plate, then lucky you! Because we came across the ultimate, pub-style chicken parmigiana recipe that you can easily make at home.
Culinary expert Cameron took to Youtube in the midst of the pandemic to unveil his recipe after he was flooded by requests from hundreds of users who couldn’t wait to get back to the pubs and taste the classic dish again.
“I can show you how to make an awesome chicken parmy that is quality,” he said in the video.
And the ingredients are:
1. Chicken breast (with tenderloins removed)
2. Pepper and salt
3. Two eggs
4. Parsley
5. Parmesan cheese
6. Bread crumbs
7. Flour
8. Napoli sauce
9. Ham
10. Mozzarella cheese
11. Cheddar cheese
He begins by slicing a piece of chicken breast in half, but not all the way, to achieve a ‘butterfly’ cut.
“Now a lot of people will bash these out and use a mallet to get a thinner cut– I don’t see the point in that. I want a big, thick piece of chicken,” he added before proceeding with getting the egg wash ready.
Grabbing a bowl half-filled with milk, he seasons it with freshly ground pepper and salt then drops two eggs in before beating the ingredients together to make a nice egg wash.
The ultimate chicken parmy. Image Credit: Culinary Cameron
Next, he chops up some parsley and adds it to a separate bowl containing breadcrumbs. He also grates some parmesan for an extra kick of flavour.
“I want about a two to one ratio of breadcrumbs to parmesan, so I’m talking lots of parmesan cheese,” he explained.
The chef then proceeds to coat the chicken with flour, the egg wash, and the breadcrumbs. As a bonus tip, he advises viewers to use one hand when dipping into dry ingredients and the other for wet ones to avoid the nasty, thick residue one typically gets when crumbing.
But it doesn’t stop there. He goes back and dips the piece again into the egg wash and then the breadcrumbs for a second time.
He cooks the coated chicken breast in a deep fryer at 160 degrees until it’s golden brown. After that, he generously covers the deliciously fried chicken with ham, Napoli sauce, and a blend of mozzarella, cheddar, and parmesan cheeses before popping it into an oven.
To achieve crispy, beautifully roasted cheese on top, he also places the chicken in a grill for two minutes after baking it and tops it all off with a side of chips.
Video Credit: Culinary Cameron
5. Lamingtons
What is an Australian twist to regular, old, and boring cakes? Lamingtons. Even if you’re embarrassingly covered in shredded coconut after taking a bite, it’s just worth the unforgettable experience of tasting one.
Here’s what you need for the recipe:
1. Two cups of all-purpose flour
2. Four tablespoons of baking powder
3. One-eight a tablespoon of salt
4. Half a cup of room temperature butter
5. Three quarters a cup of white sugar
6. A teaspoon of vanilla extract
7. Two eggs
8. Half a cup of milk
9. Four cups of confectioner’s sugar, sifted
10. One-third a cup of cocoa powder, sifted
11. Two tablespoons of melted butter
12. One pound of unsweetened, dried coconut
Start by preheating your oven to 190 degrees celsius as well as greasing and flouring an eight by twelve-inch pan. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and set aside.
Reach out for another bowl and beat half a cup of butter and three quarters a cup of sugar using an electric mixer until it’s light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and drop in the vanilla extract with the last egg. Pour in the flour mixture you set aside alternately with milk, mixing well until the ingredients are incorporated.
Then, pour the batter into the previously prepared pan to make a cake. Bake it in the oven for about 30 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Let the cake rest for a few minutes before wrapping it with a plastic wrap and storing it overnight at room temperature.
Image Credit: Eat, Little Bird
Leaving the cake to firm up overnight is an important step so coating it later wouldn’t end up in a chaotic, crumbly mess.
The next day, make the icing by combining confectioner’s sugar, cocoa, melted butter, and warm milk in a large bowl. Cut your cake into 24 equal squares and dip them individually into the chocolate icing, making sure to submerge each piece completely in the mixture, and roll it in the coconut.
Place the lamingtons onto a wire rack (with parchment or wax paper underneath) to dry and you’re all good to go!
6. Roast Lamb
In a major poll, roast lamb has been declared as Australia’s national dish with a total of 6,117 votes out of 24,000, proving that the dish is a classic in several households. If you’re also a fan, then you may want to give this recipe with only five ingredients a shot!
All you need is half a kilo of lamb leg, a splash of olive oil, two tablespoons of honey, two tablespoons of wholegrain mustard and four sprigs of fresh rosemary.
Image Credit: Best Recipes Au
Start by making small cuts in the meat before rubbing the entire piece with olive oil. Combine mustard and honey together then baste the meat with the mixture– don’t miss the cuts!
Insert sprigs of rosemary into the cuts and pop the meat into an oven to bake at 180 degrees celsius for 1 and a half hours (if you’re aiming towards medium-rare).
We know at this point it can be tempting, but let the meat rest in aluminium foil for an extra 15 minutes before carving. Bon appetit!
7. Cheezels
The perfect, quick, savoury snack to satisfy you! These are wonderfully cheesy, as the name suggests, and are shaped like miniature hoops with a gratifying crunch. Once you open a bag of these, it’ll be a struggle breaking away! Cheezels have been one of the go-to snacks in Australia since it was launched in the market back in 1970.
Image Credit: Kiasu Mart
8. Vegemite on toast
Vegemite is probably the dish that most foreigners associate us with and we’re proud of that! Although it is an acquired taste (because foreigners don’t know how to eat it properly…), this breakfast spread is still a national delicacy.
Image Credit: Spoon University
If you haven’t had these for a long while, this is your sign to give them a try again!
9. Milo
Okay, okay– before you get mad at us for including what’s technically a beverage in this list, we just couldn’t help but add this quintessential Australian drink. Milo took the world by storm and most foreigners aren’t even aware that we were the ones who invented it! Just abominable…
Image Credit: Milo
The iconic Australian chocolate milk drink was invented in Syndey in the early 1930s by Thomas Wayne to ensure that children received enough nutrients in their daily diet. Today, it’s a guilty pleasure for most of us, and honestly is just the best chocolate powder drink out there… Yes, even more so than Ovaltine. Sorry, not sorry!
10. Barbecued Snags
Nothing makes us feel more Australian than barbecued snags– it’s simply a huge part of our culture.
For this recipe, you’ll be making a total of 8 servings with the following ingredients:
1. A kilo of beef sausages
2. White bread, a slice per sausage
3. Two onion bulbs
4. Barbecue or tomato sauce (depending on what you prefer)
5. Oil
Begin by slicing the onions, then sautéing them in two tablespoons of oil, over medium heat until golden brown.
Image Credit: Starts at 60
Add two tablespoons of oil to the pan before adding the sausages and frying them as well until browned all over. Flip the sausages every now and then so they cook evenly. Once nearly done, slice all the sausages through the middle to butterfly them and turn them over so the pieces are cooked through.
Finally, place each sausage diagonally on a slice of white bread and top with onions and drizzle with either tomato or barbecue sauce. Just absolutely delicious!
Don’t these tasty dishes just make you feel so glad to be Australian all of a sudden? Cause we definitely are. Did we miss some of your favourite dishes? Share them with us in the comments below!
Image Credit: IStock
And so, as a way to honour Australian food culture, we compiled a list of our favourite, iconic dishes that will hopefully take you on a nostalgic journey and inspire you to cook maybe one or two of them for the first time in maybe a while.
1. Fairy Bread
Fairy bread has been around for decades as it’s incredibly easy to make and never fails to bring a smile to childrens’ faces. Is a kid’s party truly complete without these?
Image Credit: Sweetest Menu
All you need is a loaf of white bread, butter, and 100’s and 1000’s. Generously cover your slice of bread with butter (or margarine) and dazzle it up with 100’s and 1000’s. Easy-peasy, eh?
Pair it with a hot cuppa and relive your precious childhood memories!
2. Meat Pies
Even the smallest towns in the country have at least one bakery whipping up a good ol’ meat pie. There’s nothing quite like the smell of these savoury bites fresh from the oven.
If you need a quick refresher on how to make a mouthwatering batch of these, we’ve got you covered. But first, you’ll need to get your hands on the following ingredients:
1. A tablespoon of olive oil
2. One bulb of brown onion, finely chopped
3. 500 grams of extra lean beef mince
4. A tablespoon of cornflour
5. Three quarters a cup of Masselbeef stock
6. Three quarters a cup of tomato sauce
7. Two tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
8. A tablespoon of barbecue sauce
9. A tablespoon of Vegemite
10. Two sheets of frozen shortcrust pastry, thawed
11. Two sheets of frozen puff pastry, thawed
12. A single egg, beaten
Start by heating the olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat and drop in the finely chopped onion. Saute for three minutes before adding the beef mince. Let both ingredients cook for four minutes, stirring occasionally until the meat turns brown.
Add in a tablespoon of cornflour and only a tablespoon of Massel beef stock (for now) to form a paste. Then, add the rest of the stock along with the three sauces and vegemite to mince. Bring the mixture to a boil before lowering the heat to medium-low and letting it simmer for 8 minutes or until thick. After that, let it cool down.
Image Credit: Taste.au
While waiting, preheat your oven to 220 degrees celsius. Grab a four by eight-centimetre base measurement pie pan and grease it liberally.
Moving on, cut a shortcrust pastry into four by fifteen-centimetre circles. Place the circles over the bases and sides of the pan and proceed by filling them with the mince and then brushing the rims with water.
Cut another set of four by fifteen-centimetre circles from the puff pastry to place over the meat. Seal the pies with a quick pinch around the sides, trim to your liking, and brush the top over with egg. Add a little salt and pepper if you wish before placing the pies onto a baking tray and pop them in the oven!
Let them bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until they are perfectly golden brown. Serve on a tray and enjoy!
3. Tim Tams
An all-time favourite and maybe even Australia’s most loved chocolate biscuit. Arnott’s Tim Tam biscuits landed on supermarkets’ shelves back in the 1960s and effortlessly stole our hearts since. It’s been said to be found in one in every two households!
Image Credit: Australian Food Shop
Although the original flavour is still widely preferred, there have been many varieties to the snack ranging from chewy caramel to choc orange. It doesn’t get much more Aussie than this!
4. Chicken Parmigiana
From a restaurant dish to a pub staple, the iconic chicken parmy (or parma) just has to be a part of this list. If you’ve been craving for a plate, then lucky you! Because we came across the ultimate, pub-style chicken parmigiana recipe that you can easily make at home.
Culinary expert Cameron took to Youtube in the midst of the pandemic to unveil his recipe after he was flooded by requests from hundreds of users who couldn’t wait to get back to the pubs and taste the classic dish again.
“I can show you how to make an awesome chicken parmy that is quality,” he said in the video.
And the ingredients are:
1. Chicken breast (with tenderloins removed)
2. Pepper and salt
3. Two eggs
4. Parsley
5. Parmesan cheese
6. Bread crumbs
7. Flour
8. Napoli sauce
9. Ham
10. Mozzarella cheese
11. Cheddar cheese
He begins by slicing a piece of chicken breast in half, but not all the way, to achieve a ‘butterfly’ cut.
“Now a lot of people will bash these out and use a mallet to get a thinner cut– I don’t see the point in that. I want a big, thick piece of chicken,” he added before proceeding with getting the egg wash ready.
Grabbing a bowl half-filled with milk, he seasons it with freshly ground pepper and salt then drops two eggs in before beating the ingredients together to make a nice egg wash.
The ultimate chicken parmy. Image Credit: Culinary Cameron
Next, he chops up some parsley and adds it to a separate bowl containing breadcrumbs. He also grates some parmesan for an extra kick of flavour.
“I want about a two to one ratio of breadcrumbs to parmesan, so I’m talking lots of parmesan cheese,” he explained.
The chef then proceeds to coat the chicken with flour, the egg wash, and the breadcrumbs. As a bonus tip, he advises viewers to use one hand when dipping into dry ingredients and the other for wet ones to avoid the nasty, thick residue one typically gets when crumbing.
But it doesn’t stop there. He goes back and dips the piece again into the egg wash and then the breadcrumbs for a second time.
He cooks the coated chicken breast in a deep fryer at 160 degrees until it’s golden brown. After that, he generously covers the deliciously fried chicken with ham, Napoli sauce, and a blend of mozzarella, cheddar, and parmesan cheeses before popping it into an oven.
To achieve crispy, beautifully roasted cheese on top, he also places the chicken in a grill for two minutes after baking it and tops it all off with a side of chips.
Video Credit: Culinary Cameron
5. Lamingtons
What is an Australian twist to regular, old, and boring cakes? Lamingtons. Even if you’re embarrassingly covered in shredded coconut after taking a bite, it’s just worth the unforgettable experience of tasting one.
Here’s what you need for the recipe:
1. Two cups of all-purpose flour
2. Four tablespoons of baking powder
3. One-eight a tablespoon of salt
4. Half a cup of room temperature butter
5. Three quarters a cup of white sugar
6. A teaspoon of vanilla extract
7. Two eggs
8. Half a cup of milk
9. Four cups of confectioner’s sugar, sifted
10. One-third a cup of cocoa powder, sifted
11. Two tablespoons of melted butter
12. One pound of unsweetened, dried coconut
Start by preheating your oven to 190 degrees celsius as well as greasing and flouring an eight by twelve-inch pan. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and set aside.
Reach out for another bowl and beat half a cup of butter and three quarters a cup of sugar using an electric mixer until it’s light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and drop in the vanilla extract with the last egg. Pour in the flour mixture you set aside alternately with milk, mixing well until the ingredients are incorporated.
Then, pour the batter into the previously prepared pan to make a cake. Bake it in the oven for about 30 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Let the cake rest for a few minutes before wrapping it with a plastic wrap and storing it overnight at room temperature.
Image Credit: Eat, Little Bird
Leaving the cake to firm up overnight is an important step so coating it later wouldn’t end up in a chaotic, crumbly mess.
The next day, make the icing by combining confectioner’s sugar, cocoa, melted butter, and warm milk in a large bowl. Cut your cake into 24 equal squares and dip them individually into the chocolate icing, making sure to submerge each piece completely in the mixture, and roll it in the coconut.
Place the lamingtons onto a wire rack (with parchment or wax paper underneath) to dry and you’re all good to go!
6. Roast Lamb
In a major poll, roast lamb has been declared as Australia’s national dish with a total of 6,117 votes out of 24,000, proving that the dish is a classic in several households. If you’re also a fan, then you may want to give this recipe with only five ingredients a shot!
All you need is half a kilo of lamb leg, a splash of olive oil, two tablespoons of honey, two tablespoons of wholegrain mustard and four sprigs of fresh rosemary.
Image Credit: Best Recipes Au
Start by making small cuts in the meat before rubbing the entire piece with olive oil. Combine mustard and honey together then baste the meat with the mixture– don’t miss the cuts!
Insert sprigs of rosemary into the cuts and pop the meat into an oven to bake at 180 degrees celsius for 1 and a half hours (if you’re aiming towards medium-rare).
We know at this point it can be tempting, but let the meat rest in aluminium foil for an extra 15 minutes before carving. Bon appetit!
7. Cheezels
The perfect, quick, savoury snack to satisfy you! These are wonderfully cheesy, as the name suggests, and are shaped like miniature hoops with a gratifying crunch. Once you open a bag of these, it’ll be a struggle breaking away! Cheezels have been one of the go-to snacks in Australia since it was launched in the market back in 1970.
Image Credit: Kiasu Mart
8. Vegemite on toast
Vegemite is probably the dish that most foreigners associate us with and we’re proud of that! Although it is an acquired taste (because foreigners don’t know how to eat it properly…), this breakfast spread is still a national delicacy.
Image Credit: Spoon University
If you haven’t had these for a long while, this is your sign to give them a try again!
9. Milo
Okay, okay– before you get mad at us for including what’s technically a beverage in this list, we just couldn’t help but add this quintessential Australian drink. Milo took the world by storm and most foreigners aren’t even aware that we were the ones who invented it! Just abominable…
Image Credit: Milo
The iconic Australian chocolate milk drink was invented in Syndey in the early 1930s by Thomas Wayne to ensure that children received enough nutrients in their daily diet. Today, it’s a guilty pleasure for most of us, and honestly is just the best chocolate powder drink out there… Yes, even more so than Ovaltine. Sorry, not sorry!
10. Barbecued Snags
Nothing makes us feel more Australian than barbecued snags– it’s simply a huge part of our culture.
For this recipe, you’ll be making a total of 8 servings with the following ingredients:
1. A kilo of beef sausages
2. White bread, a slice per sausage
3. Two onion bulbs
4. Barbecue or tomato sauce (depending on what you prefer)
5. Oil
Begin by slicing the onions, then sautéing them in two tablespoons of oil, over medium heat until golden brown.
Image Credit: Starts at 60
Add two tablespoons of oil to the pan before adding the sausages and frying them as well until browned all over. Flip the sausages every now and then so they cook evenly. Once nearly done, slice all the sausages through the middle to butterfly them and turn them over so the pieces are cooked through.
Finally, place each sausage diagonally on a slice of white bread and top with onions and drizzle with either tomato or barbecue sauce. Just absolutely delicious!
Don’t these tasty dishes just make you feel so glad to be Australian all of a sudden? Cause we definitely are. Did we miss some of your favourite dishes? Share them with us in the comments below!
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