Cracking Open Australia.

I didn’t go to Outback Steakhouse

Australia’s Context

Australia is a country + a continent and is as much desert as it is the sea. It is also a colonized country that I had to try and wrap my head around. Much like the United States that was colonized in the early 1600s, Australia was colonized by the British in the late 18th century. The Aborigines (Indigenous people) who lived there for 65,000 years before its colonization, lived off the land and had a hunter-gatherer diet also known as bush tucker. This diet lasted for millennia and all but disappeared once foods like dairy, wheat, and cattle were introduced to the country.

When researching Australian cuisine I found many resources describing the current food landscape as traditional fare. As I meandered the web looking at dishes of food I wondered how can 65,000 years of Indigenous foodways + knowledge not be included? Australia has a very diverse population which has influenced the makeup of what is eaten there today, but much like the U.S., there seems to be a disconnect of what has been eaten there before settlers have arrived + what is eaten now and deemed “traditional”.

Modern cuisine in any country opens itself to the beauty of diversity. Immigrants + transplants help shape + define what the food scene looks like. While I do appreciate seeing what everyone is eating now, I still can’t help but wonder who is keeping the ancient foodways alive? As the world gets smaller there is always a huge possibility of continued Indigenous erasure. For context, the Aboriginal culture is the oldest living culture on earth. It pre-dates the pyramids + Stonehenge! So how does this culture’s food almost disappear in 200+ years? The answer is obvious to me and I can write at length about colonization and the disappearance of Indigenous traditions, but I rather leave you all on a lighter note. A note of hope and resilience in the form of bush tucker resurgence. 

Here are several articles that I read that made me happy to know that there are people out there doing the work + restoring the knowledge of the land for future generations to learn:

Australian Culinary Tourism

Indigenous Chefs Reclaiming Bush Tucker

The Orana Foundation

Chef Mark Olive

Australia in Astoria, Queens

The Thirsty Koala is an Aussie restaurant featuring modern Australian cuisine. The menu consisted of some heavy meat options and some lighter fare. We decided to ditch our usual go-to of ordering an appetizer and opted for just drinks and main courses. 

My partner ordered a glass of South Australian Pinot Noir by The Little Penguin vineyards + I ordered an Australian family-owned ginger beer called Bundaberg Soda. According to my partner, the Pinot Noir had a nice sweet beginning and a slightly acidic finish. He thoroughly enjoyed it while I drank up my ginger beer which was nice + spicy like I love all my ginger-laden foods to be. 

The Little Penguin Pinot Noir.

Tasty ginger beer.

For our mains, I ordered the Aussie pies + he ordered the beer-battered cod. Minced meat pies and fish + chips are standard staples in Australia so we decided to give them a go.

My plate came filled with crunchy shoestring fries (my favorite!) and the cutest little puff pastry-filled pies. The pies were filled with super tender braised short rib and the pastry was flaky + buttery. The flavor of the braised short rib was very subtle and let the natural flavor of the meat shine through. All in all the meat pies weren’t exceptionally filling and I could see why they’re considered a favorite snack for folks on the go. My plate also had sweet chili sauce and homemade ketchup which my boyfriend almost mistook for marinara sauce for its thickness + sweetness. 

Three lil’ meat pies + lots o’ fries.

Inside of meat pie.

The beer-battered cod was lightly battered and super crispy. The flesh of the cod was soft, buttery + naturally sweet. His fish was accompanied with whipped mashed potatoes, which were a nice addition to the fried fish instead of french fries. His plate also came with thick homemade ketchup, chili sauce + tartar sauce. His tartar sauce was interesting because it was slightly warm, thin in consistency, and very mild tasting. It wasn’t chunky like we were expecting which actually helped coat the chunks of cod easier when dunking in the sauce.

Huge hunks of beer-battered cod.

Another view of the dish.

At the end of our meal, we were pleasantly full (definitely wasn’t exploding out the top button of my pants) and satiated. I feel like we got a very small taste of Aussie eating through this meal, but could have gone for more. The menu used to feature kangaroo burgers + steaks, but due to the current supply chain, it has made getting certain international ingredients harder to come by. Perhaps one day the Thirsty Koala + other stateside Aussie eateries will be able to feature bush tucker inspired items on their menus to give a glimpse into the world’s oldest foodways.

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Two more A’s to go! Austria + Azerbaijan!

Cook. Eat. Repeat.

Natalie