Food & Wine
Towards the end of last century Australians proudly still survived on a diet of ‘meat and three veg’. Fine fare was a Sunday roast, and lasagne or croissants were considered exotic. Not any more. Today Australian gastronomy is keen to break rules, backed up by award-winning wines, world-class coffee, an organic revolution in the importance of fresh produce and a booming craft-beer scene.
Mod Oz?
The phrase Modern Australian (Mod Oz) has been coined to classify contemporary Australian cuisine: a melange of East and West; a swirl of Atlantic and Pacific Rim; a flourish of authentic French and Italian.
Immigration has been the key to this culinary concoction. An influx of immigrants since WWII, from Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa, introduced new ingredients and new ways to use staples. Vietnamese, Japanese, Fijian − no matter where it’s from, there are expat communities and interested locals keen to cook and eat it. You’ll find Jamaicans using Scotch bonnet peppers and Tunisians making tajine.
As the Australian appetite for diversity and invention grows, so does the food culture surrounding it. Cookbooks and foodie magazines are bestsellers and Australian celebrity chefs − highly sought overseas − reflect Australia’s multiculturalism in their backgrounds and dishes. Cooking TV shows, both competitions and foodie travel documentaries, have become mandatory nightly viewing.
If all this sounds overwhelming, never fear. The range of food in Australia is a true asset. You’ll find that dishes are characterised by bold and interesting flavours and fresh ingredients. All palates are catered for: the chilli-meter spans gentle to extreme, seafood is plentiful, meats are full-flavoured, and vegetarian needs are considered (especially in the cities).
Vegemite
Vegemite: you’ll either love it or hate it. Barack Obama undiplomatically called it ‘horrible’. It’s certainly an acquired taste, but Australians consume more than 22 million jars of the stuff every year. And they’re particularly pleased that ownership of this national icon recently returned to Australian hands for the first time since 1928.
Cafes & Coffee
Cafes in Australia generally serve good-value food: they’re usually more casual than restaurants and you can get a decent meal for around $20, although many only open for breakfast and lunch. Kids are usually more than welcome.
Coffee has become a nationwide addiction: there are Italian-style espresso machines in virtually every cafe, boutique roasters are all the rage and, in urban areas, the qualified barista (coffee-maker) is the norm. Sydney, Melbourne and even subtropical Brisbane have borne generations of coffee snobs, but Melbourne takes top billing as Australia’s caffeine capital. The cafe scene here rivals the most vibrant in the world: the best way to dunk yourself in it is by wandering the city centre’s cafe-lined lanes.
Fire up the Barbie
The iconic Australian barbecue (BBQ or ‘barbie’) is a near-mandatory cultural experience. In summer locals invite their friends around at dinner time and fire up the barbie, grilling burgers, sausages (‘snags’), steaks, seafood, and veggie, meat or seafood skewers. If you’re invited to a BBQ, bring some meat and cold beer. Year-round the BBQ is wheeled out at weekends for quick-fire lunches. There are plenty of free electric or gas BBQs in parks around the country, too – a terrific traveller-friendly option.
Cheers!
No matter what your poison, you’re in the right country if you’re after a drink.
Wine
Long recognised as some of the finest in the world, wine is now one of Australia’s top exports. In fact, if you’re in the country’s cooler southern climes (particularly in South Australia, and even in southeast Queensland), you’re probably not far from a wine region. Some regions have been producing wines from the early days of settlement more than 220 years ago. Most wineries have small cellar door sales where you can taste for a nominal fee (or often free). Although plenty of good wine comes from big producers with economies of scale on their side, the most interesting wines are usually made by smaller, family-run wineries.
oWine Tasting
National Wine Centre of Australia, Adelaide, SA
McLaren Vale, SA
Margaret River, WA
Yarra Valley, Vic
Beer
As the public develops a more sophisticated palate, local craft beers are rising to the occasion. There’s a growing wealth of microbrewed flavours and varieties on offer, challenging the nation’s entrenched predilection for mass-produced lager. Have a look at www.findabrewery.com.au for brewery listings. Most beers have an alcohol content between 3.5% and 5.5% – less than many European beers but more than most in North America.
The terminology used to order beer varies state by state. In NSW you ask for a schooner (425mL) if you’re thirsty and a middy (285mL) if you’re not quite so dry. In Victoria the 285mL measure is called a pot; in Tasmania it’s called a 10-ounce. Pints can either be 425mL or 568mL, depending on where you are. Mostly you can just ask for a beer and see what turns up.
Spirits
In recent years, Tasmania – with its chilly Scotland-like highlands and clean water – has become a whisky-producing hotspot. There are about a dozen distillers around the state now, bottling superb single malt for a growing international market. Keep an eye out for excellent drops from Sullivans Cove Whisky (which won the prize for the world’s best single malt for its French Oak Cask variety in 2014), Nant Distillery and Hellyers Road Distillery. Gins from Kangaroo Island Spirits in South Australia and Melbourne’s Four Pillars are also impressive.
Etiquette
At the bar, ‘shouting’ is a revered custom, where people take turns to pay for a round of drinks. Leaving before it’s your ‘shout’ won’t win you many friends! Once the drinks are distributed, a toast of ‘Cheers!’ is standard practice: everyone should touch glasses and look each other in the eye as they clink − failure to do so purportedly results in seven years’ bad sex.