If you are planning to visit Australia, or if you are already there and trying to navigate the mysteries of Australian cuisine, here is a handy guide to the kind of culinary delights you will be offered by your Australian mates, but may not find in your restaurant guide book.
Pavlova, or ‘pav’
The Pavlova, or ‘pav’ is a classic Australian dessert. Hardly a Christmas, wedding reception or birthday is complete with out a mountain of fluffy white meringue covered in whipped cream and fruit. Ready made `pav’ meringue bases are sold in supermarkets, and hostesses choose their own topping – strawberries and kiwi fruit are most desired.
You can make your own ‘pav’ with your usual meringue recipe. Just don’t bother piping it out into individual serves. Spread a thick layer on the greased baking sheet, and then pile more meringue around the outside of the layer, creating a well in the middle for your filling. The ‘pav’ base needs to be as big as a dinner plate. Bake it in a very slow oven until it is firm but still soft inside, and then fill the well with whipped cream and slices of kiwifruit and strawberries.
Snags are Sausages
Without sausages a lot of great Aussie events, such as the backyard `barbie’ (BBQ) and the obligatory fund raising ‘sausage sizzle’ just would not occur. Sausages are bought in bulk for both these events, and they are usually just regular sausages bought from any supermarket. But lately there has been a trend toward hand made boutique sausages. We more traditional Aussies are taking this in our stride as a good slurp of BBQ sauce can cover most sins.
To hold a traditional Barbie or sausage sizzle, all you need is the cheapest sausages you can find, a few loaves of bread or a piles of bread rolls, some onions, a couple of bottles of your favorite BBQ sauce, and a BBQ.
Fire up the hotplate, throw on the snags, cut up the onions and add them to the `sizzle’. When the appetizing smells have drawn a queue of hungry people to your barbie, dole out a snag and a bunch of fried onion on a slice of bread or a roll and let them add their own sauce. Australian charities sell the snag sarnies for a couple of bucks at events and do a roaring trade.
What’s a ‘Sarnie’?
That’s a sandwich, anything that goes between two slices of bread – and quite often down under, that is anything. Avocado sarnies are very popular. Cut open a ripe avocado and spread the contents onto bread. Sprinkle over some salt and pepper and there you go. It’s kind of a basic snack, but it can be made a gourmet treat if you use sourdough or German black bread. We more progressive Aussies always try to keep up with the latest food trends.
