Foods that define your country…
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After a long long weekend of working with computers, computers and, you guessed it, more computers, I decided that I wanted to kick back and write up something for my blog. I was toying around with a few ideas, and in the process remembered a question that was asked of me some time back by a mate from Colombia.
The question was “What is one food that would really define your country, something that would be really well known for example, a food that you would see as an Australian icon”. It took me a while to ponder this when I came up with the best answer. The humble Australian Meat Pie. I have had these for as long as I can remember, even from small little party pies (basically a meat pie for kids), to the Four ‘n’ Twenty meat pie which is displayed above.
I guess I picked this as the food that would best describe Australia because there is no great icon for Australia than a bloke standing there with a meat pie in one hand and a beer in the other. Now personally I am not a fan of beer (… I know how un-Australian is that) but I have been told that beer and pie go well together. The meat pie is something that can be found at every sports event, pretty much every petrol station and at some cafes.
From the reading I have done, it would appear that Australia was the first to have a handheld meat pie so to speak. I am still trying to research into this to confirm or disprove this. However what can I say, I view a meat pie as a great Australian meal.
So while I was here I wanted to know what food you would see as a real icon for your country, if you could vote for one food/meal to be the icon for your country to the international market what would it be and why? Also have you ever had an Aussie meat pie and if so did you like it?
I look forward to hearing some of your foods (and if you have any recipes that would be great too).
Stuart 
8 Comments
May 19th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
It is funny how “Aussie” a meat pie and a beer is, especially while watching sport. Just all seem to go together, Lol. I can’t really think of a meal more Aussie than a pie, except for maybe a vegemite sandwich, can anyone else? And curious as to what some other countries’ national food would be, like Italy is easy but what about America? Would it be fast food? Burgers?? And what about New Zealand?
May 19th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
Kiwi food: Feijoas. Om nom nom.
Seriously? Fish and chips. We used to live off the stuff, ut we were from the very north on the coast of NZ, so our culture was a little difference.
May 19th, 2008 at 2:15 pm
/looks at Josh with a *WTF* look on his face.
LOL for the record I have asked Josh what on earth a Feijoa is and he suggested I check it out here –> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feijoa interesting read.
And now I am hungry for some fish and chips *pouts*.
Stuart
May 21st, 2008 at 4:11 am
People think haggis or black pudding define Scottish food but they’d be totally wrong. For breakfast its porridge, for tea it’d be tatties and mince, or if you’re eating out, then fish ‘n chips
Matts last blog post..Two political failures, tough choice choosing
May 21st, 2008 at 8:23 am
Heya Matt,
It is really interesting I would have said Haggis if someone had asked me.
Out of curiosity what is tatties and mince? This is something I have not heard of before.
And I have to say I am a big fan of porridge for brekkie. Especially during the cold winter mornings like this morning /shivers.
Stuart
May 21st, 2008 at 1:44 pm
That is interesting. There are differences between what a country’s inhabitants would say defines them and what other people think. People do associate haggis with Scottland, and frogs legs and escargot with France, and tourists are kind of expected to try them, but it doesn’t mean that that is what the locals there actually eat. And of course there are always going to be differences in different regions!
And I’m curious now, what would someone who isn’t Aussie think our national food is? Would they know about pies, or would they think be vegemite, bbqs or kanagaroo meat??
Btw Stuart, I think the cold winter mornings in Scottland would make ours feel like summer! lol
May 22nd, 2008 at 12:44 am
humm my country… i think it more to the spices.. but most known well is meat curry also known as Rendang … if you visit my country don’t forget to try Rendang
June 21st, 2008 at 3:11 am
What an interesting question. As an American, I find myself stumped. I might say burgers or even fried chicken, though the latter is more a “southern” USA food. I think it’s overlooked but really is a good example of “American-ism.” I think the question would be much easier to answer about my home state because the USA is just really so big.
As for what I would think would define Australia, probably Vegemite.