Foods Aussies love that the rest of the world thinks are weird
Nothing screams Australia like a devon and tomato sauce sandwich. But the sanga filling leaves other nations completely confused.
The Australian culinary landscape is vast and wide – but there’s no denying the natural beauty of a lamington, a barbecued snag smothered in tomato sauce or the lurid appeal of fairy bread.
And while these foods hold a special place in the hearts of Aussies, this doesn’t mean the rest of the world get their appeal.
In a bid to simplify what makes these treats so special and so uniquely true blue, we’ve rounded up seven of the most iconic.
These include the devon and tomato sauce sandwich, along with Chicken Salt, which needs to go on everything, Vegemite, and our most beloved sweet, the Fantale.
FAIRY BREAD
Ah, fairy bread. The stuff of childhood dreams.
Essential to this treat is white bread. A basic cut loaf from the supermarket is preferable. ‘
Next, spread with butter. Then top with “hundreds of thousands”. The bread should then be cut into triangles and arranged on a platter.
The party “delicacy” has been a staple since the 1920s which means in terms of longevity, it is almost 100 years old.
An article published in the Hobart Mercury in 1929 is one of the first documented references to fairy bread, a mention that’s allowed Tasmania to claim the invention as its own.
“The children will start their party with fairy bread and butter and 100’s and 1,000’s, and cakes, tarts, and homemade cakes …”
VEGEMITE
There aren’t many things better in this world than hot Vegemite toast and a cup of tea – especially if you’re feeling slightly worse for wear.
While the hardworking yeast-flavoured spread - that has been around for the past 90 years -comes with hangover-curing properties (it’s full of salt and B vitamins) it’s also been known to feature on many a school lunch.
If you are thinking about creating a Vegemite sandwich, the Aussie favourite pairs well with a chip, butter and fresh white bread.
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CHICKEN SALT
Regardless of what you are eating, stop immediately and add some Chicken Salt.
The seasoning, known for elevating the flavours of even the blandest of meals, has been a pantry staple in Aussie homes since its debut in the 1970s.
For those who may not be familiar, chicken salt is a type of seasoned savour salt which may contain paprika, onion, citric acid, garlic, rice flour, pepper and celery seeds.
Oh, and by the way, it contains zero chicken.
According to reports, the seasoning was created in a chicken shop in South Australia before crossed state lines and was universally embraced.
Food writer and MasterChef winner Adam Liaw recently waxed lyrical about chicken salt in a piece for The Guardian calling it “Australia’s most beloved of all seasonings”.
LAMINGTONS
You’d be hard-pressed to find a person an Aussie who can pass up a lamington.
The cakes, a national treat, are made from a square of yellow sponge, coated in chocolate and dipped in coconut.
Some have jam in the middle, fancier versions might also come with cream.
A recipe for the delicious offering, which takes its name from Lord Lamington, Governor of Queensland from 1896 to 1901, first appeared in the December 17, 1900, issue of Queensland Country Life.
Historians tracing the evolution of the lamington from its invention thought to be at the hands of a maid, to its widespread popularity say the interval was very short.
FANTALES
If you haven’t indulged in a Fantale, you haven’t lived.
The sweet, which has been available in Australia since the 1930s, is a chocolate, caramel-covered treat.
However, what makes them so memorable, apart from the taste, that each lolly comes individually wrapped in a “fan tale”.
Each tale is a short biography of a movie star, who is currently popular.
According to the site, Australian Food History, the sweet debuted in 1928, shortly after movies with sound hit cinemas.
DEVON SANDWICH WITH TOMATO SAUCE
For the uninitiated, devon is a type of processed meat, generally sold in thin slices, widely available in Australian supermarkets.
The meat tends to mostly be served as part of a sandwich, one that was very much a feature of lunch boxes of the 1970s.
The sandwich itself, like so many Aussie classics, needs to be made using white bread, lashing of tomato sauce is essential.
Renowned food critic and former judge of MasterChef Australia Matt Preston previously admitted his “guilty secret” sandwich was the Devon and tomato sauce combo.
“Slap slices of it between white bread with tomato sauce and there’s happiness right there in your hand,” he told Taste.
“If you are feeling really naughty, crisp up the stras (devon) a little by giving it a few seconds in the microwave. “
BARBECUED SAUSAGE AND BREAD
Sausage sizzle, sausage sandwich, sausage in bread. Whatever you want to call it, the joys of a barbecued sausage and bread cannot be underestimated.
The bread needs to be white, the sausage well cooked and the tomato sauce flowing. Fancier versions come with fried onions.
The offering is all-pervasive and fierce debate rages as to how to create the perfect snag and bread combo.
Recently, Adam Liaw set the internet on fire with his hack for the perfect sausage and bread pairing.
Taking to social media, Liaw explained his trick was to buy half a loaf of bread from the bakery and to ask for it to be run lengthways through the slicer.
“My favourite (if controversial) summer barbecue hack is to buy a half loaf of bread and get them to run it through the slicer lengthways instead of sideways,” he wrote.
“It produces a sausage-sized piece of bread that makes for perfect ‘sausage in bread’. You’re welcome.”
The brilliance of his idea was celebrated on Instagram where his post racked up thousands of likes within minutes.
Breathless commentators declared the innovation “Brilliant” “absolutely revolutionary” and a “total game-changer”.
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