Australian Cuisine

Breaking the rules of fine dining

For its first 150 years, the Australian cuisine fluctuated in flavour somewhere between salty lard and shoe leather spiced with charcoal. Without doubt, it was the most boring food in the world. It is tempting to blame the English for the blandness. After all, they transported criminals who were able steal bread, but lacked the imagination to steal the condiments to give the bread some flavour. They also transported the Irish whose experience with exquisite meals amounted to little more than adding some grass clippings to potatoes.

Sadly, as unpalatable as it may be to let the Poms off the hook, the more probable explanation is that the harshness of the Australian environment offered little material to work with when creating recipes. Because the poor soils were unsuited to agriculture, it was only basic vegetables that could be grown with any reliability. Furthermore, chefs had to rely upon a limited range of domesticated European animals because they could be contained ( unlike native animals.) Even though they might be delicious, Kangaroos wont herd nicely towards an abattoir and jump most fences. Likewise, Wombats are individualistic creatures that if fenced in, tunnel their way to freedom. Possums and Koalas just climb over the top of fencers.

Aside from being shackled with a narrow range of meats, the lack of refrigeration forced Australian chefs to burn, salt or coat the meat in fat in order to reduce the risk of food poisoning. Perhaps some flavour could have been achieved by making sausages or salamis like many Mediterranean nations. Unfortunately, the menace of blowflies posed a significant risk of infusing a maggot flavour.

Unless the colonists decided to live an Aboriginal style nomadic existence, the colonists had to rely upon unproductive foreign animals and plants that struggled in Australian conditions. Even then, the menace of droughts, fires, bushrangers, dingos and kangaroos made this produce unreliable. For the colony's first few decades, starvation was as common in Australia as it had been in Europe. In fact, faced with the brown grass of Australia, many of the Irish might have been wishing to eat some of the green grass clippings from home.

Pavlova

With ingredients scarce, it was left to the ladies from charity organisations like the Salvation Army to save Australia's culinary soul. As part of their fund-raising drives, the ladies utilised two ingredients that were in abundance, wheat and eggs. They subsequently made pumpkin and mango scones; pavolvas; Anzac cookies, lamingtons and the humble slice. Till this day, the charitable recipes of Australia's culinary soldiers remain of the few that are recognised as Australian in origin and style.

After World War II, Australia underwent a culinary explosion. It is generally accepted that this explosion was due to the influx of Asian and European immigrants who subsequently expanded the Australian pallet. However, this explanation seems flawed as Australia also received massive migration from China, Germany, Italy, and France during the gold rushes of the 1850's yet the basic burnt meat and boiled potatoes prevailed. The only lingering change was the addition of the Chinese dim sim to the fish and chip shop.  The more logical explanation for the culinary explosion is that the Snowy Mountains Scheme increased the productivity of the land. Furthermore, improvements in transportation and refrigeration allowed food to be transported over vast distances. As the great economist Adam Smith noted "specialisation is limited to market size." As refrigeration expanded the size of the farmer's market, the more they could grow niche products with confidence that they could be sold. As the range of produce in Australia increased, immigrants were able to access the ingredients necessary to continue their culinary traditions. Over time, they introduced Australian chefs to the great meals of the world. 

Of course, Australians have never showed must respect to traditions and were soon corrupting recipes that have been considered perfect for centuries. They tested the boundaries of Japanese politeness by using sun-dried tomatoes and brie to make sushi. They bemused the French by marinating escargot in beer and throwing them on the barbie. They have even provoked knife sharpening amongst hot headed Italians by using tandoori paste and yoghurt to make pizza bases. As Judy Sariss, the former editor of Gourmet Traveller says: "We haven't reinvented the wheel, but not many (cuisines) would have thought of mixing Asian and Mediterranean as our chefs do so well here."

The name given to this style of food is "Modern Australian." In contradiction to what Judy Sariss writes, there is nothing unique to Australia about mixing east and west cuisines. Chinese, Japanese, English and American chefs are all doing the same thing. On the world stage, it is called Fusion. The only uniqueness of Australia is that the mixing is not being incorporated into an existing national cuisine. Furthermore, no Australian chefs are trying to create a common style. Every chef tends to make their own recipes, rather than take the recipe of a compatriot and make it better. A cynic may argue that this creates a lot of Frankenstein meals, but very little refinement. Sometimes the meals are great, however more often there is more confusion that fusion. Even though creativity is highly encouraged in Australia, the fact is that some people would be better off refining other people's creativity than being creative themselves.

In defence of chefs, many Australian diners demand something new and inventive. Consequently, a good chef in Australia needs to be constantly inventing new recipes and then subsequently defining them with ingredients customers have never heard of, or regional styles that are ambiguous. The above recipe is typical of market demands. "Asian" sauce could mean anything, and tentaki is far from being a household word in Australia. "Lightly seared" might have been a more appropriate description considering the menu was written for English language speakers. Finally, it defeats the purpose of making wontons if they are going to be shredded. The chef may have been better off just putting some kind of meat source on pasta. The only real benefit of shredding wontons is that it shows the chef is creative, and gives them an excuse to use a Chinese word in the recipe's description.

While the Frankenstein recipes are generally coming from Australians with European heritage, Australians with Asian heritage are attaining more refinment by integrating different ideas into existing national cuisines. The most notable of these chefs isTetsuya Wakuda; a Japanese migrant who blends French concepts with those of his homeland. Other Asian chefs have mixed recipes from different Asian countries to create Asian restaurants that are not indigenous to any Asian country. Such restaurants are highly prized because as well as serving extremely high quality food, they also serve in the Asian social style. Unlike European Modern Australian that serves food in the European style for individual consumption, the Asian Modern Australian serves food for group consumption; thus retaining the social element that is prized in social gatherings and business meetings.

A small minority of Australian chefs have also strived for a distinctly Australia cuisine via the use of native ingredients. Snake, witchetty grubs, crocodile and emu all offer the chance for chefs to make show their creative skills without necessary revealing themselves to be Frankensteins.

 

 

Witchetty grubs

Macadamia stuffed Emu Fan Filled with red pepper just on summer salad

Crocodile Kebabs with Native Pepperleaf Mustard

Chef: Jayne MacLean
Muddies at Illawong

Degree of difficulty: Medium

You need:
500 grams Crocodile tail Fillet
2-3 Kiwi Fruit
1 cup of wholeseed mustard
1/4 cup of Honey
2-3 desertspoons of dried Native Pepperleaf (infused in warm white vinegar)

Method:
To prepare the mustard, combine roughly chopped Kiwis, purchased mustard, honey and Pepperleaf in a food processor until kiwis are pureed.
Cut crocodile tail into strips and thread onto bamboo skewers.
Cover with mustard mix and put in fridge to marinate for at least 3-4 hours (or overnight if possible)

To Serve, preheat a frying pan, or the barbie, and cook kebabs for about 2 minutes on each side and serve ona salad of mixed greens, slow roasted tomato and warm char grilled eggplant and zucchini

Serving Suggestion: To serve, pre-heat pan, or the barbie, and cook kebabs for about 2 minutes on each side and serve on a salad of mixed greens, slow roasted tomato and warm char grilled eggplant and zucchini.

 

Vegemite recipes

Famous chefs

• Neil Perry (Rockpool) - Credited with refining the art of blending European and Asian recipes and introducing bread and olive oil as a side dish
• Tetsuya Wakuda (Tetsuyas) - Blends Japanese and French food with immaculate presentation and consistent taste.
• Steve Hodges (Pier, Fish Face) - Credited with introducing a Japanese style obsession with freshness to seafood.

 

Persisting against adversity - The story of Vegemite

Australia has few meals that are recognised as Australian and which can be found in the majority of Australian households. One of the very few is the 'Vegemite Sandwich'.

Vegemite dates back to 1922 when the Fred Walker Company hired a Dr. Cyril P. Callister to develop a spread from one of the richest known natural sources of the vitamin B group, brewer's yeast. Following months of laboratory tests, Dr Callister developed a tasty spreadable paste.

Walker then conducted a national trade-name competition, offering a 50 pound prize for the winner. The winning entry was drawn out of a hat and in 1923 Fred Walker launched his product under the Vegemite brand.

Even though Dr Callister's invention has proved to be a formula for success, success was not instantaneous. When Australians first heard about Vegemite, a English spread called marmite dominated the spread market and Australians were reluctant to try Fred Walker's locally made product. In 1928, four years after it's initial launch, Vegemite was relaunched as "Parwill". Walker's rationale behind the name was the slogan "If Marmite . . . then Parwill" . Walker's creative marketing idea was not successful.

Walker persevered but reverted to the Vegemite name. In 1935, a 2-year coupon redemption scheme was launched whereby a jar of Vegemite was given away with every purchase of other products in the Fred Walker range. Australians tried the product and loved it! In all, it had taken almost 14 years before Walker's beloved product finally gained acceptance and recognition.

As for the world's view on Vegemite, frequent comments included that it is the most disgusting, vile and haness spread ever invented. Many uninitiated foreigners have even angrily accused Australians of coating bread with faeces so as to laugh at their misfortune.

Curiously, world rejection seems to have strengthened Australians fondness for the product. Today, it has become tradition for Vegemite sandwiches to be eaten on Australia day and Anzac day. Furthermore, Australian travellers frequently take a jar of Vegemite when venturing overseas.

As for the marketing, despite the failure of the 'Parwill' campaign, it seems the bad puns have also continued. On every jar of Vegemite is the woeful slogan: 'Vegemite - Australian born and bread'

How to make Vegemite.

Brewer's yeast is a good source of vitamin B, but live yeast tastes boring, it is poorly digested. Inactivated yeast lacks the disadvantages, but is still bland. The inventor of vegemite solved this problem using autolysis: a process where the yeast's own enzymes break it down.

Spent brewer's yeast is sieved to get rid of hop resins, and washed to remove bitter tastes. Then it is suspended in water at a temperature greater than 37 C with no nutrients: the yeast cells die, and vitamins and minerals leach out. Then the proteolytic (protein-splitting) enzymes take over, breaking the yeast proteins down into smaller water-soluble fragments, which also leach out. The yeast cell membrane is unruptured during this time, and can be removed by centrifuging. The clear light brown liquid is then concentrated under a vacuum to a thick paste (the vacuum helps preserve flavours and vitamin B1, thiamine). It is seasoned with salt, and a small proportion of celery and onion extracts to increase the palatability.