Food Down Under

Australia's Gastronomy

Cafes fill the laneways of Melbourne

Coffee Culture - The Flat White

Coffee and cafes are serious beusiness in both Sydney and Melboune. Your declaration of the city's best 'flat white ' will be met with strong contention. A 'flat white' is similar to a latte but has a stronger milk-to-coffee and is served in a larger, tulip shaped cup. One must also perfect the velvety "flat" texture the by using the non-frothy bottom part of steamed milk with smaller bubbles.

Dessert - The Lemmington Cake

Australians take this cake close to their heart and frown upon New Zealand's strawberry incarnation. Another nice cake for sweet tooths is the Vanilla Slice, also found in bakeries across the country.

Street Snack - The Meat Pie

Pies are available everywhere. A 1970s tv advert once sung football, meat pies, kangaroos and Holden cars... but quality does vary. Kangaroos can find their way into pies too. Top one with a dollop of tomato sauce. Australians seem to have to pay extra for tiny, explosive packets of ketchup (weird)...Just ask Steph.

"Kanga Bangas" - an interesting choice of sausages, or "snags", that are filled with kangaroo meat.

BBQ Meat - Rissoles & Kangaroo

Barbecues have long been taken seriously and with a passion. Flavored burgers known as Rissoles are best ordered from the local butchers that still line every town's main street. Supermarkets even have a selection of Kangaroo meat for your barbie and the marinated kebabs can be both lean and flavorsome.

Souvenir Grocery List

• Tim Tams - delicious cookies that are the answer to America's Oreo, but dipped in a variety of chocolates. Popular throughout and Oceania and parts of Asia.
• Anzac Biscuits - perfect for tea dunking. The name comes from the army affiliation and these butter biscuits give part of their proceeds to veterans.
  
• Snack Attars - flavored rice crackers with asian influences.
• Vegimite - The iconic spread. Everyone seems to agree on one thing, the recipe was ruined by Kraft.
• Triple Brie - So fattening but so good. Whis is way superior to the dominance of 'Tasty' Cheese in supermarket. It's the generalized name for mass produced cheddar - we never got to the bottom of this.
• Australian Olive oil - After grape vines, Australians have also grown olive trees that can produce excellent extra-virgin oils. Dip your bread in oil, then into a 'Bush Dukkah' herb-breadcrumb mixture.
• Bundaberg Ginger Beer - a very strong carbonated beverage that is delicious when mixed with the black rum of the same name