Throw another shrimp on the barbie…
Love it or hate it, the pie floater. Image by Abstract Gourmet
I noticed this question this morning from a student in Germany who had been asked to put together a report on what Australian people eat during their daily lives. Although most Australian diets are amazingly multicultural, I have to confess that if I was answering the question I’d admit to having the essential Aussie breakfast of Weetbix this morning and that I’m planning to prepare a few lamb chops as an evening meal – us Aussies certainly love our lamb – and not every country in the world has it in such abundance. So while I do snack on sushi and enjoy my regular Thai takeaway, had I decided to go for a vegemite sambo today I’d have pretty much had the full Aussie menu!
Ah vegemite – not only is it good for you, but versatile beyond the imagination. It never ceases to amaze me that foreigners screw up their noses and spit the stuff out – but I guess it’s an acquired taste, i.e. acquired only if you begin eating the stuff from birth!
If you go right back to the early settlement days of Australia resources were scarce, and the most filling meals all included damper – a very basic bread made pretty much only from flour and water. You can add to the taste with some similarly traditional Golden Syrup (not to be confused with Maple Syrup – very much in the domain of the Canadians!) but it’s still one of the stickier and most simple Australian foods, hardly a delicacy.
Another great Aussie icon that we all miss when we’re away is Freddo Frog – who along with his colleague Caramello Koala is a simple but satisfying symbol of home along. I fondly reminisce about Twisties and Milo when I’m on my travels too – delicacies that the rest of the world just doesn’t get to enjoy (check out these ideas of different ways to indulge in Milo).
So while the rest of the world thinks throwing a shrimp on the barbie is what being Australian is all about there’s certainly more to it than that… but one thing I wouldn’t proudly admit to being an Australian tradition is the pie floater – a pie with mashed potato, mushy peas and gravy just isn’t my cup of tea!
Clea
- Rating:
(Be the first!) - Permalink
- Comments (3)
Loading ...
Subscribe
The pie floater is not an Australian tradition, it is merely a Melbourne tradition. I’d never even heard of it until about 15 years ago and I’ve lived here since 1949.
The pie floater is not an Australian tradition, it is mostly a Melbourne tradition. I’d never even heard of it until about 15 years ago and I’ve lived here since 1949. Now what about rosella jam, far better than a pie floater.
It’s actually a South Australian tradition. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pie_floater). Very rarely seen in Melbourne.