From Meat Pies to Macadamias: 10 foods to celebrate Australia this Friday eate


By: Judy Davie - The Food Coach

Since it's Australia Day on Friday I thought it worth looking at typical foods of our country.
Fifty ago that list of popular Aussie foods might have included, lamingtons, meat pies, vegemite, pavlova, Tim Tams, Anzac biscuits, sausage sandwiches and Chiko rolls, but we have made some culinary headway since the 60's and 70's when 40 million Chiko Rolls were sold.

It's time we have a 21st century list which shows modern Australians as they now are with discerning and diverse palates.

Modern Australians want to celebrate how far they've come since the days of meat pie and tomato sauce and honour our country as a fresh food-producing nation.

Modern Australians may also like to celebrate, in addition to the annual Australia Day Honours roll which recognizes outstanding achievement and service by members of our community, our Australian farmers who work tirelessly to provide the abundance of fresh food at our disposal.

The Land Down Under is home to plenty of fresh healthy foods, so let's celebrate some of its best.

  • 1.Olive Oil

    Gone are the days when we looked for Spanish, Greek or Italian olive oil. Today Australian olive oils have arrived on the world stage and are garnering critical acclaim. Extra virgin olive oil flows a glorious gold colour with a rich fruity flavour and is hard to match for its cholesterol-lowering properties.


  • 2.Macadamia Nuts

    Nothing matches the creamy flavour of this indigenous nut grown in Australia. Macadamia nuts have a unique taste and texture and very slightly outmatch olive oil in their monounsaturated fat content. As part of a reduced energy diet, the good fats in macadamia nuts may help to burn body fat. Why not replace vegemite with macadamia butter on toast for a truly healthy Australian experience.


  • 3.Wine
    Australia is now the 5th largest wine-producing country in the world and with so many climates in one continent, we produce wine from every state. The wine regions in each of these states produce different wine varieties and styles that take advantage of the particular growing environment and again we are up there on the world stage for excellence in Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Semillon, Pinot noir, Riesling, and Sauvignon blanc.

  • 4.Oats

    They may be eaten a lot in Scotland but lots of oats are grown across Australia in South West Western Australia, the Eyre and York Peninsulas of South Australia, western and north-eastern Victoria and the Riverina and central NSW. Oats contain a specific type of soluble fibre known as beta-glucan and studies have shown that just one bowl of oats supplies about 3 g of beta-glucan, enough to typically lower LDL cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease. They are cheap and full of goodness and healthy addition to breakfast bowls of Australians up and down this great southern land.

  • 5.Bananas
    Remember the devastating cyclone Yasi which wiped out our banana crops and sent banana prices soaring to $15 a kilo? It was probably at that time when most Australians recognized how much they took this iconic Australian fruit for granted. Loaded with potassium, magnesium, folate, B6, Vitamin C and fibre, this widely available and, thankfully now very affordable natural snack is an Aussie icon we should all be celebrating this Australia Day.

  • 6.Lamb

    Barbeques will be firing up all over the country next week and the chances are that lamb will take centre stage on the grill. 100% Australian lamb is worth celebrating for its great taste and nutritional benefits including protein, B12, zinc, iron and B6.

  • 7.Oysters

    All over Australia's pristine waters, you will find oysters. Coffin Bay and Smoky Bay in South Australia. Moulting Bay and Blackman Bay in Tasmania, Cape Hawk in New South Wales. As decadent as they may seem oysters are also one of Australia's most nutritionally well-balanced of foods. They are low in fat, calories and cholesterol in addition to being high in protein, iron, omega 3 fatty acids, calcium, zinc and vitamin C.

  • 8.Finger limes

    When white men descended on our indigenous nation little did they know that the indigenous people could teach them a thing or two about the healing powers of native foods yet it took some 200 years before anyone took notice. Finger limes grow naturally on Australia's east coast and are native to the rainforests of the border ranges of southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales. They are known as the caviar of the citrus world and set to transform the international culinary world. Bursting with zesty flavour, Finger limes are rich in folate, potassium and Vitamin E and have three times the Vitamin C of a mandarin. The level of Vitamin E is particularly high in the pink Finger limes

  • 9.Mangoes

    What do we think of when we think of Australia? Summer, sand, sunshine and quite possibly mangoes. Nothing speaks of summer more than the sweet fragrant smell of Australian mangoes. As the first of the summer season mangoes make their way down from Queensland to the fresh produce markets across Australia, celebrations begin as people flock for their share of this glorious summer fruit. It's summer, it's Australia and life is good.

  • 10.Avocado
    We first planted them in Sydney's botanical gardens in 1840 - well before chiko rolls were invented - and now Australian avocadoes are grown in orchards across Queensland, NSW, SA, Vic, WA and Tasmania. It appears to have pushed vegemite off its top stop as Australia's favoured breakfast food and appears as a breakfast mainstay in cafes across the country. Smashed with a drizzle of olive oil, lime juice and goat's fetta ( also from Australia), it's pretty hard to beat in taste and nutrition providing Vitamin E, C, K, Folate, and fibre. It's also delicious with vegemite!

    Happy Australia Day





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