Food & Drink

It took a long time for the average Aussie to realize that there is more to food than English-style sausage and mashed potatoes, "meat and three veg," and a Sunday roast. Spaghetti was something foreigners ate, and zucchini and eggplant were considered exotic. Then came mass immigration and all sorts of food that people only read about in National Geographic.

The first big wave of Italian immigrants in the 1950s caused a national scandal. The great Aussie dream was to have a quarter-acre block of land with a hills hoist (a circular revolving clothesline) in the backyard. When Italians started hanging freshly made pasta out to dry on this Aussie icon, it caused uproar, and some clamored for the new arrivals to be shipped back. As Australia matured, southern European cuisine became increasingly popular until olive oil was sizzling in frying pans the way only lard had previously done.

In the 1980s, waves of Asian immigrants hit Australia's shores. Suddenly, everyone was cooking with woks. These days, a fusion of spices from the east and ingredients and styles from the Mediterranean make up what's become known as Modern Australian cuisine.

Still, some of the old ways remain. Everyone knows that Aussies like a barbecue, usually referred to as a "barbie." Most Aussies aren't really that adventurous when it comes to throwing things on the hot plate, and are usually content with some cheap sausages and a steak washed down by beer.

The typical Aussie also likes a hot pie, usually about as large as your hand and filled with something that resembles meat. They tend to squirt ketchup on top of it.

Seafood is popular, as you would expect, and a typical Christmas Day meal will usually include prawns and/or fish.

Aussies eat out of course, but away from the main cities you'll be hard pressed to find much more than a Chinese restaurant, usually of dubious quality. Popular restaurants in the big cities include those specializing in Thai, Vietnamese, Italian, Spanish, Middle Eastern, and Indian.

American readers should note that the bottomless cup of coffee is very rare, and that it's considered very impolite to wear your napkin around your neck. (Place it on your lap.) Many restaurants allow you to bring your own wine, but some may charge a corkage fee of a few dollars.

While you might see kangaroo, crocodile, and emu on the odd menu, Australians tend not to indulge in their local wildlife, preferring to stick to introduced species instead.

Beer & Wine

If you order a beer in a pub or bar, you should be aware that the standard glass size differs from state to state. Thus, in Sydney you can order a schooner (a beer mug often squat and dimpled) or a smaller midi (a slender beer glass). In trendy places you might be offered an English pint or a half-pint. In Melbourne and Brisbane a midi is called a pot, while in Darwin it's called a handle, and in Hobart a ten. You can get smaller glasses, too, though thankfully they're becoming rare. These could either be called a pony, a seven, a butcher, a six, or a bobbie, depending on which city you're in. If in doubt, just mime a big one or a small one, and they'll get what you mean.

As far as wine goes, Australia has come a long way since the first grape vines arrived on the First Fleet in 1788. These days, more than 550 major companies and small winemakers produce wine commercially in Australia. There are dozens of recognized wine-growing regions, but the most well known include the Hunter Valley in New South Wales; the Barossa Valley, McClaren Vale, Coonawarra; Adelaide Hills and the Clare Valley in South Australia; the Yarra Valley in Victoria; and Margaret River in Western Australia.

Aboriginal Foods

In the past couple of decades, many Australian chefs have woken to the variety and tastes of "bush tucker," as native Aussie food is tagged. Now it's all the rage in the most fashionable restaurants, where wattle seed, lemon myrtle, and other native tastes have a place in one or two dishes on the menu. Below is a list of some of those foods you may encounter.

• Bunya nut: Crunchy nut of the bunya pine, about the size of a macadamia.
• Bush tomato: Dry, small, darkish fruit; more like a raisin in look and taste.
• Native cranberry: Small berry that tastes a bit like an apple.
• Illawarra plum: Dark berry with strong, rich, tangy taste.
• Kangaroo: A strong meat with a gamey flavor. Tender when correctly prepared, tough when not. Excellent smoked.
• Lemon aspen: Citrusy, light-yellow fruit with a sharp tangy flavor.
• Lemon myrtle: Gum leaves with a fresh lemon tang; often used to flavor white meat.
• Lillipilli: Delicious juicy, sweet pink berry.
• Quandong: A tart, tangy native peach.
• Rosella: Spiky petals of a red flower with a rich berry flavor.
• Wattle seed: Roasted ground acacia seeds that taste a little like bitter coffee.
• Wild lime: Smaller and sourer than regular lime.

One ingredient you will not see on menus is witchetty grubs; most people are too squeamish to eat these fat, juicy slimy white creatures. They live in the soil or in dead tree trunks and are a common source of protein for some Aborigines. You eat them alive, not cooked. If you are offered one in the Outback, either freak out (as most locals would do) or enjoy its pleasantly nutty taste as a reward for your bravery!