Can someone give me a list of good food in Australia?

Question

The reason being is that I am going there in June and it would be nice to have a heads up on what not to eat and whats good. Thanks!

Answer 1

Australian Cuisine today is a blend of cuisine from all parts of the world combined with true indigenous cuisine. The local seafood, lamb roast, kangaroo meat, wichety grubs and other staple Aboriginal foods, Irish stew, meat and four vegs, bangers and mash of the early migrants have now been complemented with lasagna, kebabs, mousaka, sweet and sour pork, dim sums, hot curries, bouillabaisse, venison, Creole carri poule, ghoulash, lahksa, frankfurter dishes and many more. In addition, the advent of tourism has created a whole new range of modern day foods skillfully prepared with the abundant supply of local and imported ingredients. World class Australian wines have also added to the enjoyment of this rich Australian cuisine, enjoyed by all Australians and visitors to the country.
The Aborigines have been using Australia's natural food resources for the last 40,000 years. Bushfoods include deliciously tangy fruits from the rainforests, aromatic herbs from our woodlands, zingy pepperleaf and delicate snowberries from the southern highlands, spicy bush tomatoes from the desert, and lean rich game meats from kangaroo and emus.
**********************************************************

Bush Tucker

Bush tucker is Australian terminology for the huge variety of herbs, spices, mushrooms, fruits, flowers, vegetables, animals, birds, reptiles and insects that are native to the country.

Some grow wild in the backyards of city homes, others hide their goodness in remote parts of the desert and are difficult to find.

The Aborigines have been eating bush tucker for 50,000 years. It is said that in colonial times the pioneering white settlers who learned about local foods from Aborigines and utilized this knowledge fared much better than others who did not. But to many white people the plants are still a mystery, the grubs look unappetizing, and Aboriginal cooking methods are not understood.

But this is changing. European Australians are developing an interest in products unique to their environment and there is growing interest from world-class chefs seeking "new" tastes and combinations.

Wild Australian fruits make excellent jams, sauces, chutneys and desserts. Nuts are used in pies, sweets and breads. New flavors from the bush are finding their way into ice cream, beverages and as spices.

In restaurants now you can find meat and fish dishes seasoned with ground kurrajong flowers, wattle seed ice cream; lilly pilly berries soaked in honey and served with meat dishes and quandong (wild peach) stewed or in ice cream. Cappuccino is being seasoned with wattle seed and buffalo steaks smoked over banksia cones.

The eating of grubs and insects may not be everyone's cup of tea but to the Aborigines the hoards of flying, squirming creatures which arrive with the changes of season are cause for great celebration. The arrival of the Bogong moth in the mountains of southern New South Wales from November to January used to attract up to 700 people from different tribes.

The grub which is best known, and most tasted by white people, is the witchetty grub. This fat, white grub is the most important insect food of the desert and a much valued staple in the diet of women and children. Men also love witchetty grubs but seldom dig for them. They are eaten raw or rolled in ashes. The taste is likened to almond nuts.

Native animals are not farmed for consumption but there is a growing movement for this to happen. At present kangaroo is caught wild but by law it can be eaten in restaurants only in South Australia, Tasmania, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory. As with the emu, farmers will be breeding kangaroos, goannas and grubs. Maybe even dugong, turtle and echidna which were once favorite foods of the Aborigine.

Drinks can be made from many native beans and seeds. The blue flowered herb called chicory is a famous coffee substitute. Early colonists coped with dwindling tea stocks by substituting native plants such as Leptospermum, the most commonly used bush tea referred to as "tea tree."

Fruits
There are hundreds of different kinds of tasty fruits and berries in the bush. They include: quandong, a wild peach which is has a delicate acid flavor which is eaten stewed or in ice cream; the native cherry of New South Wales, different to the European cherry in that it has a stone on the outside, which is sweet and slightly astringent to the palate.

Seeds and Nuts
Grass seeds, pigweed, wattles and mangrove pods are widely eaten. Australia also has a good variety of nuts. The macadamia nut is the only indigenous plant cropped commercially. The nuts can be eaten raw or roasted. They are commonly used in a range of confectioneries and cakes and various products are now being manufactured from the nut. For example, macadamia nut butter and cold-pressed macadamia oil. The bunya nut can also be found in some supermarkets. Edible varieties of beans and peas include Moreton Bay chestnuts and matchbox bean.

Tuber
Tubers provided the staple diet of Aborigines and various yams, corms, and roots were the major forms of sustenance. Roots and tubers have similar food value to potatoes and carrots. Aborigines knew the smell of chocolate for thousands of years before they encountered the taste. The aroma is carried by the mauve lilies found in South Australia. Other lilies include common fringed and twining fringed lily. Many orchids and their tubers are also eaten.

Greens
Leaves of plants were only a minor source for Aborigines. Edible varieties included bruised leaves of fishweed and different saltbushes that can be boiled like spinach. Leaves of cresses can be cooked as cabbage, the buds and flowers steamed as broccoli and the seeds ground as mustard.

Animal Foods
Kangaroos, possums, lizards, fish and shellfish were staple foods for the Aborigines. Small animals such as dragon lizards, grasshoppers and even hairy caterpillars were also eaten. Delicacies included whale and seal meat.
**********************************************************

Australia: What to Eat

Australians are some of the largest consumers of meat in the world and the quality is extremely high.

Cooking methods have changed significantly over the past decade, due partly to the European and Asian migrants who have introduced culinary traditions, and partly to a new health consciousness.

The meals are lighter with less heavy sauces and gravy. More use is made of marinades and lighter sauces such as soy sauce and teriyaki sauce. Classic European dishes are still popular but the current food fad is Asian in origin—with Japanese and Thai joining Chinese which has long been a favorite. Meat is increasingly being used in stir-fry, kebabs, rolled roasts and noisettes.

Australians, however, still relish a traditional roast of beef, lamb or pork and visitors will find these on many restaurant menus.

There is a seemingly endless supply of ethnic restaurants catering to the many nationalities that now live here. The combination of the high quality local foods with ethnic cooking methods has produced some of the best meals in the world.

Barbecues are very popular with Australians who like a casual lifestyle and eating outdoors. Most homes would have outdoor barbecue facilities or portable barbecues. Many parks and beaches have designated barbecue areas. You will hear the steady sizzle of meats and seafood over coals around the country on balmy summer evenings and during weekends.

Many small hotels and clubs have outdoor eating or barbecue facilities where customers can choose and cook their own steak. Often a band will be playing on Saturdays and Sundays. This is a good place to meet young Australians.

Milk-fed lamb and veal is served in top restaurants. It usually costs a little more but is valued for its fine, delicate flavor. Top restaurateurs have their own breeders who are contracted to supply them with suckling lamb (5-6 weeks old). Cattle is predominantly pasture-fed, compared to the US where they are generally grain-fed in feedlots. This produces lean beef by world standards; a 100 gram-portion of cooked lean rump steak contains about 6.7 grams of fat and 80 milligrams of cholesterol. Grain-fed beef would have approximately twice this fat content.

The sheep flock of 170,000 million is the second largest in the world after Russia. Three quarters of sheep are merinos bred initially for wool, then mutton once their wool-growing days are over. The remaining 25 per cent is prime lamb production. Australia has no native breeds of sheep or cattle but has cross-bred the imports to produce strains better suited to its climate.

Australians are not big pork eaters but there has been an active campaign by breeders to produce a leaner meat and new cuts.

Chicken is the most commonly used bird for eating. Duck, goose, turkey, quail, guinea fowl are also bred and Australian pigeon is rated as among the best in the world.

Kangaroo and water buffalo are also slaughtered for consumption in some states. At present, kangaroo can legally be served in restaurants in South Australia, Tasmania, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory. The taste is similar to venison but less gamey. The cuts are not large, so kangaroo is usually served in small medallions.

Over the past 10 years migrants have had a significant influence on the introduction of many varieties of small goods and a growing awareness of their uses. Most of the varieties available originated overseas but they are increasingly being made here by experts from those countries. Salamis include Danish, Polish, Italian, Milano, Pepperone and Hungarian. And speck, coppa, bratwurst, coteghini, smoke beef, bastourma, berliner, pate, bloodwurst, cabanossi, strassburg and csabai can be bought at most good delicatessens. Ham and bacon are popular, bacon being an integral part of the traditional Australian breakfast.

Sausages are eaten by 70 percent of Australian households at least once a week. Australians have always regarded the sausage, or snag, as a cheap form of meat to fry, grill or barbecue. But this is changing. Immigrants from countries where the sausage has gourmet status are introducing new varieties and more interesting ways of cooking and serving. There are strict standards for ingredients in fresh sausages. They must contain at least 75 per cent meat (this does not include intestines, lungs or other bits of the animal not usually eaten) and the fat content is limited to 25 per cent. Frankfurters must contain a minimum of 66 per cent meat.

Answer 2

Thumbs up to 'Desi Chef'!
Although roo meat is also legal in Western Australia, where it is freely available for purchase in most supermarkets.
As Australia is close to Asia, there is a strong asian influence in food choices here. Largely cooked by Asians, these are a great choice.
You won't be tempted by grubs and all sorts of native herbs etc unless you either go to a restaurant specialising in bushtucker (there aren't many) or you visit the outback, which is also not much like the movies suggest. The reality can be a bit shocking.
Tourists seem to have this weird idea about what Australia is like, based on movies such as crocodile dundee and Steve Irwin. Unfortunately, if that's what you are expecting, you will be very disappointed. Australia is, actually, a relatively modern and completely multicultural society. If you want to eat traditional aboriginal foods, you need to go to the Northern Territory or inland to remote communities. The reality of those communities is an experience within itself. Remember Australian indigenous people have special permission to hunt animals like turtles within their area. Other people cannot.(Some places are also alcohol and petrol free, due to high problems with alcoholism and petrol sniffing.) I have tried kangaroo tail, chopped off and cooked in a hole underground complete with fur. I don't recommend it. Roo meat served in restaurants and shops is safe. Try visiting a restaurant specialising in 'native Bushtucker' food, that should please you. But remember that most 'Australians', whatever culture they might be or come from, probably have never tasted these things. Otherwise, 'traditionally' it's simply BBQ's, seafood and 'light' meals in summer and roasts etc in winter. Oh - and lots of vegemite and cheese sandwiches. And pavlova. And Tim Tam chocolate biscuits. And salt 'n Vinegar chips.
Enjoy your holiday. Australians in general are pretty friendly..

Answer 3

You won't find the run of the mill food much different in type to what is available in the USA (I'm guessing you are from there) except it is fresher, tastier and we have a wider variety of fresh fruit and vegetables.

Of course all international cuisines are available here as we have over 200 different ethnicities living here. But if you want to eat meat and three veg, you'll get that quite safely. If you are wary you can always fall back on good old McDonalds. Hungry Jacks is your Burger King, and there is also KFC or Subway (for a healthy choice).

You certainly won't starve!

Answer 4

Frank Mason & Assoc Seabest International Australian Wholesale Seafood Suppliers

Answer 5

We have all the usual kinds of ethnic foods found elsewhere in the world. What you need to find is real aussie food, like lamb, prawns, emu, bushtucker fruits, and dont forget to ask for a lamington, pavlova and meat pie.

Answer 6

1

Answer 7

can i go??? lol just kidding but not really,just remember the rule of thumb ,if the place is busy the food is good ,get tips from the wed cites for the area,and just be adventurous .good luck

Answer 8

Aussie tucker is varied - as you could see from all your answers.

But never forget a good chicken parmy at the loca!

Have fun in Oz...

Answer 9

here is my world recipes by country link list...find australia and you will find some recipes

World Recipes by country
http://www.ivu.org/recipes/
http://www.cliffordawright.com/recipes.html
http://www.pbs.org/home/home_cooking.html
http://www.johnrussell.name/recipes/index-en.htm
http://www.africa.upenn.edu/Cookbook/about_cb_wh.html
http://www.fatfreevegan.com/includes/ethnicity.shtml
http://fooddownunder.com/
http://fitdv.myrecipefriends.com/
http://dmoz.org/Home/Cooking/World_Cuisines/
http://foodgeeks.com/recipes/cat/10,ethnic__international.phtml (countries and ethnic)
http://about.com/food/bSrch.htm
http://asiarecipe.com/ (asia by country)
http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/ethnic-recipes.htm (ethnic recipes)
http://www.europeancuisines.com/Regions (europe by country)

Answer 10

roo, wild dog

Answer 11

you have to try croc steak.