Australian food has evolved over time as a reflection of the diverse cultures that have influenced the country. Originally consisting of indigenous "bush tucker" like witchetty grubs and honey ants gathered by Aboriginal people, Australian cuisine incorporated ingredients from British colonists like mutton, bread, and tea. Later waves of immigrants from Ireland, the Mediterranean, Asia, and elsewhere introduced their culinary traditions as well. Now Australian food is a unique blend of global influences and local specialties like Vegemite, barbecues, Tim Tams, lamingtons, and pavlova.

1. Australian
Foods

2. Lamingtons
Vegemite Toast
Meat Pie
Pavlova

3. What exactly is Australian
food?
 While people eat fried rice, Thai curries, Chinese food
and pizza those foods don’t belong to Australia.
Australia is a multicultural country, with people from
many countries. So there are also foods from different
countries.

4. Fried Rice; brown rice with
prawns, bacon, peas, potato
Pizza; ham, cheese and
pineapple
Curry; rice, chicken, zucchini, capsicum, basil

5. Traditional Aboriginal Foods
“Bush Tucker”
Before 1788, the Aboriginal people hunted animals and gathered
plants and berries. Some traditional Aboriginal foods are;
Insects
Witchetty grubs. The larva of a moth. The taste is similar to
scrambled eggs.
 Honey Ants – underneath a Mulga tree,
Aboriginal women find honey ants.
The nest can be a metre or two deep.

6. Bush Tucker – Plants and Seeds

7. Bush Tucker – Animals

8. The Colony - Pre Industrial
Revolution 1840
 The First Fleet brought seeds and animals such as sheep,
cows and pigs to Australia in 1788. However many plants
died as the climate was different from England. The
Aboriginal people showed them local animals and plants.
 Settlers ate native meats, sometimes baked in pies or
pasties.
 Bread or ‘damper’ was baked in the fire.
 Vegetables were native to Australia and brought from
England.
 Tea was the most important thing.

9. 1840 - 1945
 In the mid-1800s, Irish people came to Australia, to
escape both the Potato Famine and religious
persecution. They brought recipes for Irish stew.
 Rabbits and coffee were taken to Australia, and new
foods like sugar, granny smith apples, and Arnotts
biscuits were made.

10. 1945
 After WWII many people moved to Australia. Australian
people began to eat new foods like Mediterranean,
Asian, Indian, and African.

11. Now
 Now in the 21st century Australian food is a mix of
different cultures. Some examples are;
• Steak, vegetables and potatoes
• Roast dinners
• ‘Spag Bol’
• Pizza
• Curry
• Fried Rice
• Meat Pies
• Fish and chips
• Steak, sausages, kebabs (really anything) on the BBQ
• Takeaway meals; Fast food, Italian, Thai, Chinese,
Japanese, French, Mexican, Indian, Greek and
many more.

12. Uniquely Australian
 Vegemite
 Barbecues
 Tim Tams (all Arnotts biscuits)
 Macadamia nuts
 Weet-bix – a cereal
 Lamingtons
 BBQ’d snags, sausages
 Pavlova
 Fairy Bread
 Hamburgers with beetroot and pineapple