When considering Australian cuisine, you most likely think of Vegemite slathered on toast, meat pies dressed with a squiggle of ketchup, or chocolate coated Tim Tams. However, you probably don’t picture one of the world’s most popular coffee order or an extremely nostalgic malted chocolate drink mix.
The origins of dishes from around the world prove to be some of the most confusing pieces of history out there. From some of the most nostalgic childhood beverages and snacks to boxed wine, we’re exploring the depths of Australian cuisine and the backstories behind them.
Read more: 5 dishes you didn’t know were American inventions
Pavlova
Pavlova topped with berries (Photo: Unsplash)
Named after Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova in honour of one of her tours around Australia and New Zealand, this meringue-based sweet is thought to have originated in either country in the early 20th century. The exact genesis of this dessert is extremely contentious, with culinary anthropologists and restaurant critics believing that no exact origin will ever be pinpointed.
Some sources claim Australian Home Cookery by Emily Futter contained the first published recipe of pavlova although it wasn’t known by that name yet while others claim the first recipe originated in New Zealand in 1929. The Oxford Dictionary also states pavlova is from both Australia and New Zealand, with no singular birthplace so it’s safe to say pavlova has dual citizenship.
Flat whites
A flat white from a café (Photo: Instagram / @cafeluuc)
The origin of this popular coffee order is highly debated, with both Australia and New Zealand claiming the invention. Made of a double espresso, 130 ml of steamed milk, and a thin layer of microfoam, documentary evidence exists of flat whites being served in Australia as early as the 1980s. A slew of sources cite Australia as the origin of flat whites from a café in Sydney added the beverage to its menu in 1985, claiming to have taken the idea for the drink from Queensland to the cafeteria of Canberra’s Parliament House hanging a sign in 1985 that read “flat white only” due to a problem with dairy cows that prevented milk from frothing.
New Zealand, however, has also laid claim to the brew with an Auckland café serving an alternative to an Italian latte but only after learning the term ‘flat white’ from cafés in Sydney and the book Coffee Houses of Wellington 1939 to 1979 (published in 2015) stating that its author crafted a flat white in Auckland in the mid-1980s following a recipe from Australia
See also: Curio Coffee hopes to evoke a childlike curiosity in all coffee drinkers
Milo
We all grew up with it and we all still crave it on occasion. Nothing screams Malaysian childhood like a hot cup of Milo. We hate to break this to you, but Milo was first created in Australia in 1934. First launched at the Sydney Royal Easter Show, the malted chocolate drink quickly claimed rightful spots in household pantries worldwide, becoming particularly popular in Australasia, Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
Not all Milo is created equally, though, with its composition varying depending on where you are in the world so if you think Malaysian Milo tastes better, you might just be right.
Boxed wine
A box of wine (Photo: Instagram / @botabox)
If you’ve lived in Australia or even visited for a long holiday, chances are you’ve come across cask or boxed wine. Colloquially known as goon, boxed wine holds a special place in Australia’s tipple culture, being a cornerstone of most house parties. Not your usual bottled varieties, this form of wine takes shape with a cardboard box, a bag of wine, and a spigot, able to be poured into cups with ease.
Invented by South Australian winemaker Thomas Angove in 1964, boxed wine has since become a more affordable alternative to traditional bottles in terms of sheer volume and leaves less of a carbon footprint.
Twisties
Neither a drink nor exactly a dish, this corn-based snack has made it onto the list purely because you can find it in nearly every convenience or grocery store. The first extruded snack foods were invented on accident in the United States around the 1930s as a by-product of producing animal feed.
Melbourne’s Isador Magid drew inspiration from these new snack foods and invented Twisties in the 1950s which first took shape with a cheese flavour and a chicken variety being added to its arsenal later on. Soon after, Twisties were exported across the world to Japan, the Pacific Islands, Mauritius, and of course, Malaysia.
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