Australia isn’t the first place you’d necessarily think of when it comes to food. Compared to top foodie destinations like France, Italy, or Thailand, it doesn’t get as much recognition for its cuisine.
This, however, doesn’t really do justice to the things you can and should try if you visit and want to make the most of the Australia online visa you’ll need to visit the country.
We’ve highlighted 7 of the most traditional Australian food experiences you can have on a trip. If you want to try a truly Aussie culinary experience for yourself, here’s where you should start.
Aussie-Style Barbecue
Australia’s obsession with barbecues is well renowned. With its great weather and outdoors-obsessed culture, barbecues are a big deal down under.
If you want to throw a few “shrimp on the barbie” or some ‘snags’ – as sausages are called locally – you’ll find plenty of places to get your grill on or sample real outdoor cooking in Oz.
While you’re enjoying an Aussie BBQ you’ll also want to try burgers with ‘the lot’. ‘The lot’ in this case meaning, pickled beetroot, some pineapple, or a fried egg in the bun with your burger and the usual garnishes.
These Australian classics sit well alongside the other traditional BBQ dishes such as grilled chicken, veggie skewers, steak, and lamb.
But almost anything can make its way onto the grill in Australia. That includes unusual items like pizza, mangoes, or even bananas. Aussie BBQ is as much about experimentation as it is about the classics.
Seafood
Being a mostly coastal country, Australia is unsurprisingly a great place to sample seafood.
Australia is nicknamed “the lucky country” thanks to its abundant natural resources. However, when it comes to food from the sea it’s truly blessed.
Some of the unique highlights to try are rock oysters, which are famed in the Sydney area, and mud crabs – or ‘muddies’ as they’re called by the locals – in Queensland. That’s not forgetting of course other classics like lobster, shrimp, and barramundi.
It’s not all haute cuisine, however. There’s also nothing quite like Aussie fish and chips when you’re at the beach.
Asian Cuisine
With its highly Westernized national culture, it’s easy to forget that Australia is much closer to Singapore than it is to Europe or the US. Of course, that proximity to Asia has enriched Australian cuisine immensely, not least in terms of food.
With large populations of Australians with Chinese, Vietnamese, and Korean heritage, amongst others, there are of course a lot of great restaurants serving food from Southeast Asia.
Australian-Chinese food is amongst the most popular in the country overall as far as eating out goes. Whilst there’s plenty of other local and international dishes to try on a trip down under, it’s well worth heading out for a Chinese meal on your travels.
Kangaroo
Yep, that’s right you can and should try Kangaroo meat in Australia if you’re hungry.
The country’s national animal is very much on the menu in the country despite its symbolic significance. Kangaroo is a lean and healthy kind of meat that makes a great alternative to beef in terms of taste and sustainability.
You won’t find roos on the menu everywhere in Australia. However, due to its novel status, it’s something you should try if it is being served.
Meat Pies
A simple but much-loved staple in Australia is the humble meat pie.
Meat pies are usually small, hand-sized pastries, filled with ground meat and gravy. This will often be served with other garnishes like mashed potatoes or mushy peas (or both).
If you want to enjoy the dish in traditional Aussie style, a little extra gravy on top or some ketchup is the best way to go.
Meat pies aren’t one-size-fits-all when it comes to filling though. There’s a whole range of different contents such as alternative meat fillings or veggie options if you want to mix things up a little.
Pavlova
Part of Australia’s ongoing cultural battle with neighboring New Zealand is centered around who invented the pavlova. The dish comprises meringue, fruit, and cream and is a popular dinner dessert in both countries, who both claim they invented it.
Was pavlova the Aussies’ or the Kiwis’ idea? This is still hotly debated. However, despite that, Australia is one of the best places in the world to try a pavlova.
Whether it’s homemade or you try it in a restaurant, it’s a great follow-up to many of the other items on this list.
Vegemite
Whether it intrigues or disgusts you at first sight, you should try the country’s national toast topper, Vegemite. What is Vegemite you’re wondering? Simply put, it is a yeast extract paste that is created as a byproduct during the beer brewing process.
Whilst it doesn’t necessarily look or sound very appetizing at first, it has a rich umami flavor and goes great on buttered toast. It’s not to everyone’s taste but it is very much part of Australia’s national identity, even getting a mention in Men of Work’s hit single Down Under in the 1980s.
A trip to Australia isn’t really complete without trying a few of the 7 types of local food listed above. Whether you try one or all of them though, they’ll help you get a taste of what the cuisine is really like down under.
