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Pre Colonial(Pre 1770s)
Indigenous people used basic hunting and cooking skills to get their food. They used fire, nets and to capture animals such as, shellfish, kangaroo, emus, crocodiles and birds. Some vegetables and fruits that they ate were passionfruit, wattle seed, banana, yams and taro. Some indigenous people ate animals such as moths. They also were known to make bread. -
British Colonization
They brought food on ships from Britain. They established a penal colony. Their plan was to start farming the staple foods of the British diet. The foods that were introduced were, flour, salted meat, oatmeal and tea. Pigeon, goose, swam and fish. Damper was introduced, made of flour, salt and water. -
Gold Rush
In 1851 Australia saw a massive boom in migration, this was because of the Gold Rush which primarily took place in Victoria. Many of migrants were Chinese and they brought along their culture. In terms of food though, they introduced, garlic, soy sauce, green vegetables, and different ways of cooking such as steamers and woks. From the European migrants they brought pies and pasties which evolved into being the first indication of fast food in Australia. Spices were also brought from India. -
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World War One
During WW1, desiccated coconuts and cornflakes were brought to Australia. These foods were uses as rations because of the scarce amount of food production during this time. -
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1920s
In the 1920s many iconic Australian foods were developed, some of these foods were, Streets ice cream, Anzac Biscuits, Weet-Bix, Violet Crumble, Life Savers and Vegemite. All these foods are still around today and have influenced what young people eat as snacks. -
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1930s (Great Depression Era)
During the 1930s the effect of great depression took place, although this didn't mean that new things weren't being introduced into the diets of Australians. Things such as Freddo Frogs, Yo-Yo biscuits, Milo and Heinz were all introduced. In 1931 there was a riot in the city of Adelaide over beef, the riot was over the fact that beef had been removed from their rations. -
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WW2
During WW2 Australia saw another mass migration of Refugees primarily from European countries, outdoor dining was also becoming a norm during this time. Coffee, capsicum, eggplant, zucchini, artichokes and pasta were all introduced by Greeks and Italians. -
Fast food
In the 1960s American Fast food chains such as Mcdonalds, Pizza hut and KFC were all introduced. -
White Australia Policy Abolished
In 1973 the long White Australia policy was finally abolished. This resulted in migration from Vietnamese people as they were fleeing the war. They introduced Pho and stir fry which use healthy ingredients. -
Current day
In the 21st century Australian cuisine has evolved into being very multicultural. Foods from India, Vietnam, Turkey, Europe and China including others, have influenced the diets of all Australians.