Top 10 Iconic Australian Foods You Should Try

Laelia Yang August 09, 2024 | 06:55

You might not have known that Australia has a lot more important dishes than you thought. KnowInsider is making a list of the ten most famous Australian dishes that everyone should try at least once. Let's see!

Iconic Foods in Australia

Australia may not have a signature dish like Italy's pasta or Spain's paella, but it does have a lot of famous snacks and other unique foods. Australia has a lot of different kinds of food for everyone, whether you're new to the country, showing a friend around, or just want to try something new.

There are 10 famous Australian foods that you must try at least once when you go to the land of the Kangaroo!

1. Pavlova

Since the beginning of time, there has been a war in the kitchen. There is a story that the Pavlova came from Perth as a tribute to the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova. Cooking experts in New Zealand, on the other hand, think that the delicious dessert came from there and not Australia. For decades, people have tried to figure out where the famous dessert came from, but they haven't been able to. We think these dishes came from Australia since this list is about the most famous dishes in Australia.

2. Meat Pies

A lot of people like to grab a pie on the go, and you can find a case full of hot meaty pies at almost every corner store, bakery, and grocery store. There are even shops that only sell pies! You can buy a lot of different kinds of savory pies in Australia. Most of the time, they are filled with ground meat, gravy, mushrooms, onions, and cheese. Also, it's better than a kebab as a snack after a night of partying. You end the night by sitting on the sidewalk with a meat pie in your hand while you wait for your taxi to take you home.

3. Tim Tams

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Photo: nytimes.com

They are easy to make but look very fancy: two chocolate cookies stuffed with chocolate cream and covered in smooth, shiny chocolate. They have been on store shelves since the early 1960s, and their appeal hasn't gone away with the years. Choose the traditional one, which comes in milk, dark, or white chocolate, or get a limited-edition one with flavors like Red Velvet and Salted Caramel made with Adriano Zumbo.

4. Chiko roll

Australia fell in love with the simple Chiko roll when it was first served at the Wagga Wagga Agricultural Show in 1951. The cabbage, carrot, onion, and beef stuffed snack was created by Frank McEnroe, a boilermaker from Bendigo, Victoria. He first came up with the Chiko roll as a snack to take to football games. The idea was to make something that could be held in one hand while the other hand was holding a cold beer. The Chiko Roll is not made with chicken, despite its name. It was based on the popular but much smaller Chinese spring roll, which Chinese Australians claim as their own.

5. Lamingtons

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Photo: eatlittlebird.com

There is a lot of disagreement about where the Lamington dish comes from between New Zealand and Australia. But it is said that Lord Lamington of Queensland was the first person to receive the desert. He was given a sponge cake that was rolled in chocolate frosting and coconut powder. The dessert became a hit right away, and that's how lamingtons were made. This is the story we are going to use and believe for this article.

6. BBQ

They have a tradition of having the famous Aussie barbecue every year. Most days of the week, we could grill and barbecue, and I'm sure some people do. It has everything: chicken, burgers, snags, onions, prawns, seafood, and more. It's going on the Barbie if it can be grilled. It's part of the process to gather around the Barbie with a beer. It's most popular in the summer, but you can enjoy it all year because our weather is usually pretty mild. There are a lot of public grills on the beach, in parks, and in national parks.

7. Barramundi

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Photo: thebetterfish.com

Forget about fish and chips and eat some fresh Australian barramundi instead. The name comes from the Aboriginal language and means "large-scaled river fish" in the Rockhampton area. A real Aussie dish, it's much better for you than battered fish and can be grilled, fried, or seared skin-side first.

Going to Queensland gets you some of the best fish in the country, whether you want to catch them yourself or let someone else do the work.

8. Splice

Since Streets Ice Cream first served Splices in the 1950s, they've almost gained a cult following. The unusual ice cream covered in a layer of fruit-flavored ice was a big part of summer life at the beach, and it was at its most popular in the 1970s and 1980s. At first, it tasted like "pine-lime," but later, a raspberry flavor was added, and Aussies still enjoy it today. It was the slogan of Streets' 1963 ads: "You'll jump for joy, it tastes so good, it's Streets' sensational raspberry Splice!"

9. Pumpkin soup

Australian food isn't just seafood and grilled meats. You can also find many vegetarian options, such as a hearty bowl of pumpkin soup. It's easiest to find pumpkin soup in the south and tastes best in the winter. There's something very comforting about eating a bowl of pumpkin soup by the fire. For a truly Australian taste, add a Granny Smith apple, which was first grown not far from Sydney.

10. Vegemite

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Photo: emilycontois.com

Our most iconic Australian food, Vegemite, is ranked number one on this list. Vegemite is a flavor that requires time and effort to appreciate, and it appears to be exclusive to Australians. Individuals worldwide sample Vegemite out of curiosity regarding its reputed unpleasant taste, whereas in Australia, it is cherished as a staple breakfast component.

We can confidently assert that you are currently engaging in an incorrect manner. Applied sparingly (avoid excessive application) on toast with generous amounts of butter is the exclusive method preferred by a genuine Australian.