16 Australia Day Recipes For An Epic Aussie-Inspired Menu (2024)

FAQs

What is an iconic Australian meal? ›

1. Vegemite Toast. Whether it's love at first bite or a taste that takes some getting used to, Vegemite toast is an iconic part of Aussie foods and Australian cuisine. Many Aussies grow up with it, embracing its distinct flavour.

From Mum's shepherd's pie to creamy garlic prawns to hearty beef rissoles, nothing says classic Aussie dinners quite like these.

A typical Aussie barbecue is with sausages, burgers, steak, fresh seafood, bread and tomato or barbecue sauce, they sometimes include salad but it's mainly about the meat and fish (and of course a few stubbies – that's beer to the non-Australians). Australians will literally have a barbeque anywhere, not just at home.

Roast lamb has been declared Australia's national dish in a major poll that shows we're still a country of meat eaters at heart. The poll, held on News Ltd websites across all mainland capitals, attracted more than 24,000 votes.

The typical meal served and eaten on the Australian dinner table would be a red meat dish with at least three or four different varieties of fresh vegetables. Whether it is rump, porterhouse or fillet, fried, grilled or barbecued, steak and vegetables is by far our most popular dish.

Pavlova, the Australian national dessert, is one of the most delicious desserts you'll ever try! Cased in meringue, crisp from the outside but soft and tender inside, it is topped with a layer of whipped cream and a layer of fresh fruits.

What are Australians' most favourite cuisines – across different diet types? Overall across diet types, Australian, Italian and Thai stand out as Aussies' top most favoured cuisines, followed by Chinese and Indian.

Lunch – eaten around 12 – 2 pm is usually a light meal such as a sandwich, or salad. However, with the vast array of choices available now Australians are just as likely to have curry, noodles, sushi or pizza for lunch. Dinner – the main meal of the day is eaten in the evening.

The traditional Australian breakfast is very similar, unsurprisingly, to a typical British or American breakfast, with a whole fry-up made up of smokey bacon, eggs in various ways, grilled mushrooms, and tomatoes, with the optional addition of hash browns, beans, pork or beef sausages.

While red meat has traditionally taken pride of place at the centre of the Aussie dinner table, we're now eating half as much lamb as in the 1980s and two-thirds the amount of beef, but nearly 2.5 times as much chicken and twice as much pork.

What are 3 traditional foods in Australia? ›

Lolly, in Australian and New Zealand English, a piece of what is called candy in American English or sweets in British English.

Australian Eating Habits

Australians tend to eat three meals a day: Breakfast – eaten in the morning is either light and cold (cereal, toast, coffee) or heavy and hot (bacon, eggs, sausages, fried tomato) Lunch – eaten around 12 – 2 pm is usually a light meal such as a sandwich, or salad.

Australia Day falls in the middle of summer and is a great opportunity for Australians to enjoy the wonderful weather. Sports such as cricket and tennis are popular; along with trips to the beach or the local swimming pool. Many community festivals celebrate with food, music and dancing in the warm summer sun.

Bush tucker and native ingredients

The taste of Australia is inherent in our traditional wild foods from the bush and rainforest – plants such as lemon myrtle, Kakadu plum, wattleseed and warrigal greens.