New Zealand is trying to claim another thing from us, and this one's personal

I don't know about you, but I'm not so sure this evidence is holding up.

Australia and New Zealand argue over the origins of many things. Say, pavlova, ANZAC biscuits, Russell Crowe and Crowded House.

But, Aussies are just realising that there’s another thing Kiwis are starting to claim - and this one hits close to home.

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Image: TikTok / @cashman.tom, iStock.

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“They think that they invented the flat white!”

Australia, Melbourne in particular, has long been known for its coffee culture.

Menus across the world featuring things like a ‘long black’ or a ‘flat white’ are frequently considered to be inspired by this, and will undeniably prompt patrons asking if the cafe owner is an Aussie.

However, it seems one of these things might not be ours to claim.

Comedian Tom Cashman has taken to TikTok this week after being met with a peculiar sign upon landing in New Zealand.

“I’m from Sydney, Australia, and when I landed in Wellington, New Zealand airport yesterday, I was very chuffed to see this sign, it says ‘Home is where the flat white was really invented’,” he begins.

“If you know anything about flat whites, you’ll know that they were invented in Sydney, so I’m like ‘Oh my god, they’re doing personalised signs for every plane that lands!’.

“But then, I went over to the sign, and it’s actually a permanent sign - it’s not a digital sign - so then I’m like ‘Oh my god, they think that they invented the flat white!’.”

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The evidence isn’t quite holding up

Tom then took to Wikipedia to confirm that yes, there is some debate around who truly created the flat white.

Cafe owners in both Australia and New Zealand claim its invention.

In Australia, it’s a review of Sydney’s cafe Miller Treat that refers to the ‘flat white coffee’ first in May 1983. Alan Preston claimed that he imported the idea to Sydney’s Moors Espresso Bar from Queensland, adding the beverage to their permanent menu in 1985. Other documented references include the Parliament House cafeteria, which put up a sign in January 1985 saying ‘flat white only’ during a seasonal problem with cows that prevented the milk froth from forming.

@tom.cashman

Inventing the flat white: Sydney v NZ #flatwhite #sydney #wellington #auckland #nz #newzealand #australia #coffee #funny #fy #fyp #foryou #foryoupage

♬ original sound - cashman.tom

New Zealand also has its claims. One originates in Auckland, with Derek Townsend and Darrell Ahlers of Cafe DKD recalling that they’d learned the name from a friend who worked in cafes in Sydney. Another is as a result of a failed cappuccino at Bar Bodega in Wellington in 1989. And the third is as a result of Craig Miller, author of Coffee Houses of Wellington 1939 to 1979, who claims to have prepared a drink known as a flat white in Auckland in the mid-1980s, using a recipe from Australia.

Okay...

“NZ is so desperate!”

Needless to say, Tom wasn’t quite sold on this reasoning - and neither were commenters on the video.

“NZ is like that person that keeps lying but gets away with it because everyone feels sorry for them,” said one commenter.

“In Mandarin Chinese, a Flat White is called ... ao bai which directly translates to Australian White. I rest my case,” said another.

“NZ is so desperate,” said a third.

So, at this point I reckon we just claim all of it, because clearly someone is lying and it’s not us. Lamington, anyone?

Originally published as New Zealand is trying to claim another thing from us, and this one's personal