What to eat if you travel to Australia and New Zealand

Keep reading if you are just planning to travel to Australia and New Zealand and you are not sure what you will find there to eat. Australian gastronomy combines both British and local cuisines. Meaning, you will always find something yummy to fill your tummy. This is a list of 15 different bites you need to try.

Australian Barbecue

Get ready to hear this sentence when you travel to Australia:  “put another shrimp on the barbecue”. So, when you’re there, get together with some friends in a garden, in the park or the beach, and barbecue like there’s no tomorrow. Australians throw almost everything on the grill, from hamburgers to seafood and snags, (sausages). Complete the delicious meat with some vegetables or salad and slices of bread, and top it with ketchup or barbecue sauce.

Pavlova

Anna Pavlova, a Russian dancer from the 1920s, was the inspiration for the eponym of this delicious dessert. A meringue cake topped with fruit and whipped cream. However, there is a great debate about whether it comes from Australia or New Zealand. But… who really cares? Just enjoy this delicacy!

Parmesan Chicken

Or “chicken parma”, if you want to say it the Australian way. It is a breaded chicken fillet with ham, Neapolitan sauce and a piece of melted cheese. It is usually served with chips or salad and is best enjoyed in a pub. Yes, when you travel to Australia, you have to try pub food.

Anzac cookies

These sweet cookies were originally made by the wives of the men of the ANZAC (Armed Forces of Australia and New Zealand) during the First World War. The baked goods were sent to the front lines or sold to raise money for the war. Today, you can peacefully enjoy them during tea time and to commemorate ANZAC Day on April 25.

Barramundi

Fish is one of those things that taste different when you travel to Australia. This specific one gets its name from the aboriginal language and means “big scale river fish”. It is the most popular fish in Australia. Maybe because it can be fried, baked, grilled or barbecued.

Damper

The damper is a typical Australian bread, made with flour, water (or milk) and salt, which is cooked in the ashes of a bonfire. This emblematic bread is popular among the indigenous Australians and helped workers, campers and settlers survive in the desert. So, if you plan a visit to some lonely landscapes when you travel to Australia, bring some damper with you.

Kangaroo meat

Kangaroos are the very best national animals and not everybody is ready to eat them, but the offer is there. You can try steak, hamburger or kangaroo sausage. Make the experience easier by eating it in a stew, pizza or a cake.

Rolls

The rolls are the perfect snack for lunch, after a night of partying or at any time, really. There are the Chiko rolls, for example, the Australian version of the Chinese egg rolls, which are fried rolls stuffed with meat, barley, cabbage, carrots, celery and rice. The cheese and bacon rolls are just delicious and easy to eat everywhere.

Hamburgers

Australians do something with their burgers that no other country does: they put beets in them. This not only makes them healthier but also adds a great flavour. Try them when you travel to Australia.

Lamingtons

These emblematic bucket-shaped biscuits are covered with a layer of chocolate glaze and grated coconut. Some give them the title of “national cake of Australia”. You can cut the pieces in half, add cream or jam and enjoy them with your tea or coffee in the afternoon. Oh, and while you’re doing all this, do not forget to mark your calendar, because June 21 is National Lamington Day.

Meet pie

If you have never eaten a meatloaf, you have not experienced the true Australian culture. Actually, having tried this might be as good a reason as any to travel to Australia.  You will find them in almost all restaurants or important events. To further support the country’s love for the iconic combination of minced meat and salsa on a cake, check out these numbers: an estimated 24 million Australians eat up to 300 million meat pies a year.

Tim Tam

It’s time to get to know Australia’s favorite cookie: Tim Tam, also known as the magic that occurs when you put soft cream between two crispy cookies and cover it all with chocolate. There are different variations, so there is something for everyone: Australians eat 45 million packages of Tim Tam a year. The supply comes from the Tim Tam factory in Sydney, where 3000 cookies are produced every minute.

Fish & Chips

Fish batter fried. Fried pieces of potato. Eaten on the beach. Needless to say more. Yes, they come straight from Mother England. But they taste even better when you travel to Australia.

Crab sticks

Interesting fact: crab sticks do not usually carry crab, but meat of all kinds of white fish, which is crushed and shaped into a crab leg. However, it is a delicious appetizer that tastes even better when fried.

Vegemite on toast

This could not be more Australian if it tried. This spreadable pasta looks something like Nutella, but the taste does not resemble anything. The pasta is made from yeast extract and has a salty and slightly bitter taste.

Is your mouth watering already? Good. Do not wait any longer and book your travel to Australia and New Zealand with Exoticca.

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