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What Types of Food Did The Aboriginal Australians Eat?
For 50,000 years, there has been a Aboriginal diet that includes various sources of food. Common meat sources include kangaroos, wild turkeys, possums, emus, ants, lizards, snakes. Insects like Australian witchetty grub, cicadas, and caterpillars are also consumed. Native fruits and seeds, such as wild passionfruit, wild oranges, bush tomatoes, and mulga seeds, are also part of their diet. Besides, those who lived closer to water eat more seafood like fish, eels, turtles, and dugongs. -
Botany Bay
The HMB Endeavour arrived in Kamay (Botany Bay) on April 29, 1770. For the following eight days and nights, the crew gathered plants, restocked supplies, and made an effort to socialise with the locals. These were occasions that the travellers wrote down in their journals. -
Arrival of European Settlers
More than 700 prisoners were sent by the First Fleet when it arrived in Australia in 1788 to set up a new prison settlement in Sydney. In 1790 and 1791, more ships carrying prisoners arrived. Hundreds of civilians, primarily soldiers and their families, were brought to the colony by those early fleets. -
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Growth of Crops
The people planned to plant staple foods of the British diet but crop growth was challenging due to the harsh weather and soil. -
Migrants
People from Europe, Asia, and America flocked to Australia in search of wealth when gold was discovered here in the 1850s. The Chinese immigrants brought with them new cuisines and culinary methods including steamer, wok, and soy sauce. In that time, the Europeans brought the trend of street vendors selling readymade delicious foods like pies and pasties. -
The English and Australian Cookery Book was Published
This is the first time have established an Australian cuisine. It includes the recipes that combined the native and exotic ingredients. -
British Foods
As a part of the Colonial British Empire, Australia received basic dishes such as mutton, lamb chops, meat pies, and colonial curries in 1901. Additionally, a range of spices from China and India had an impact on the colonies of Australia. -
After World War I
The foods were produced, packaged, and transported much more quickly. Basic food supplies including eggs, butter, wheat, and sugar were more readily available. Also, there were new supermarket items like corn flakes and dried coconut. As a result, there is a range of new cakes, biscuits, and desserts that were created, including Lamington and Anzac biscuits. -
Vegemite was created
In 1923, a Melbourne scientist used the yeast leftover from beer production in order to create Vegemite, one's of the nation's favorite spread. -
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Multicultural Foods After 1945
A large wave of European immigrants and refugees arrived in Australia after World War II, bringing with them their dishes. Italians and Greeks brought coffee and exotic veggies like garlic, olives, artichokes, eggplant, and capsicum. Australians loved the idea of alfresco dining and other outdoor gatherings. Moreover, in Australia, pasta became a popular meal. -
The Presence of Fast Food Chain
In the 1960s, the fast food companies in the US increased their presence in Australia with the concept of fast, cheap but unhealthy food that had changed our eating habits. -
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The Australian Foods At The End of 20th Century
Changing attitudes in the 1970s saw an end to the White Policy and witnessed a universal migration policy which brought people from Asia, Africa, The Pacific as well as Britain and Europe. Meanwhile the cuisine that refugees fleeing from the Vietnam War had brought with them, had a dramatic impact on our eating habits. By the end of 20th century, Italian, Greek, Chinese, Indian, Vietnamese, Lebanese, and Middle Eastern cuisines have become standard fare in Australian restaurants and homes.