Whenever anyone mentions British food, people tend to think of steak and kidney pie or shepherd’s pie, or fish and chips, something either flaky or dull, or something greasy and dripping, and the same was once true for Australia, but then a kind of renaissance occurred Down Under, and in places like Melbourne and Sydney, the cuisine is now varied and inventive and of the highest quality. If you’re traveling, and you check yourself into one of the luxury hotels Melbourne has to offer, then you’ll discover the boiled beef and meat pies, the rolls of sausage and sandwiches consisting of bread and Vegemite have competition. Now you’re more likely to find such items as kangaroo fillet, seared, with beetroot greens, wilted, and roasted onion, in establishments that range from a cafe on the beachside to a fine dining restaurant. Places which serve just chips and burgers at least put together focaccias, King Island fresh cheeses, and fruits of an exotic nature.
Why the change? One, the richness of excellent produce and unique food native to Australia, as well as, the many international dishes that immigrants have brought, literally, to the table. In the past, Australia dined on an English diet — salted meats, baked or roasted. The settlers were used to tinned beef and a substance called damper, which was a very basic bread: flour, water, and a little salt. Nothing seemed to change much over time. Even as late as the 1960s, Australian meals were a bit strange, including such dishes as Pavlova fruit and cream in a meringue pie shell, or Lamingtons which are chocolate and coconut-coated cubes of sponge. And Vegemite, which for those who haven’t tasted it, is a black and salted spread of yeast.
Presently, Aussies recognize the quality of the ingredients around them: Australia is literally a kind of Garden of Eden for food (not meaning to imply that all they have are apples). The Australian menu favors seafood, specialized farms grow poultry and gourmet beef, and Australian cheeses, olives, and wine, may in fact be far superior to the usual imports from France, Greece, and Italy.
In Melbourne, in the state of Victoria, you’ll find the area is well-noted for specific produce, such as Gippsland beef, chicken cornfed, Malle squab, and Meredith lamb. Other regions have different specialties, such as New South Wales (Hunter Valley wines, Illabo milk-fed lamb, and Sydney rock oysters), or South Australia (Baroosa Valley wine, olive oil, tuna, Coffin Bay scallops), and Tasmania (trout, salmon, oysters, cheeses, King Island cream, and raspberries).
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