You might know about classic Australian foods such as vegemite, kangaroo steak, and fairy bread, but I bet you're not familiar with what people are eating there now. I love spending time in Australia because the cuisine is a unique blend of Western European (with an emphasis on English) and Southeast Asian cuisine. The flavors are unique and the culinary creativity rivals the United States. This past summer while visiting, I noticed that these five trends are currently popular in Australian foods.
1. Dukkah and olive oil
Dukkah is a traditionally Egyptian blend of nuts, herbs, and spices that is seriously addictive. I brought a jar of this stuff home and would eat it with a spoon. It can be used on salads, soups, meats, anything you can think of. But all the Aussies are eating it with Turkish bread dipped in olive oil.
2. Chilli Jam
Chilli jam is made of peppers and has a jelly-like consistency They're mostly house-made, and they can get pretty creative with ingredients, some even have bacon in them. They are used on everything from avocados to burgers.
3. Craft Cider
If you're an angry orchard fan (no shame), these fruity beverages would blow your mind. America has their craft breweries, and while Australia has their share, they also have craft cideries. Hard cider is made out of fermented fruit juice, and boys and girls like them equally. The flavors are endless: pear, lemon, passion fruit, and apple are some of the most popular, but pretty much every fruit and fruit combination you can think of is sold fizzy and boozy in a bottle.
4. Donuts
While donuts are popular in America, Australia is going donut crazy with bomboloni donuts. These donuts are big and stuffed full of anything you can think of, and a lot have a little chocolate bar or another treat on top or are decorated extravagantly. Fillings range from classics like jam and salted caramel to crazy combinations like Vegemite cheesecake, and even boozy flavors like limoncello and coffee liqueur.
5. American style barbecue
American food restaurants in foreign countries are generally fast food or burger joints, but barbecue joints are starting pop up down under. These have smoked meats and traditional BBQ sides like macaroni, beans, and cole slaw.
Now that you're more familiar with what's popular with Australian foods, you should try to find these trends for yourself in America. Personally, I'm currently on a mission to find bomboloni donuts in Los Angeles to show off on my Instagram.