Viewpoints from Aussie Cuisine
The current contemporary Australian cuisine is based on three pillars:
- An increase in the use of fresh, local, organic, seasonal and sustainable produce on our menus.
- A substantial growth in the use of native foods.
- Freedom to create as opposed to following the European culinary traditions.
- There are two published AussieCuisine articles, which were based on analysis of Sydney and Melbourne’s restaurant menus: An investigation of Sydney and Melbourne’s menus through the lens of contemporary cuisine and Food choices on Sydney and Melbourne restaurant menus.
A gastronomic symposium organised by the AussieCuisine team is currently being planned, which will feature some fascinating themes raised by AussieCuisine. The AussieCuisine project will also have a strong presence on social media and in the media soon. We will keep you posted.
By the AussieCuisine team
Food has become an important part of the cultural experience for visitors to many countries, and the prospect of a local food adventure is often a major decider in the selection of a travel destination.
With its Restaurant Australia initiative, Tourism Australia has recognised the prevalence of Australian food tourism, which allows visitors to experience and connect with Australian culture through the diversity of our culinary offerings. Our fresh, top-quality produce, distinctive flavour combinations (so often influenced by our Asian neighbours), the impact of the various European cuisines introduced through successive waves of immigration and the drive of a new generation of Aussie chefs to go beyond established culinary boundaries all contribute to this diversity. The willingness of our young chefs to seek out and gain international experience before returning to rattle the pots and pans at home – often with a rucksack full of knowledge, enormous creativity, boundless enthusiasm and a burning desire to realise a unique culinary vision – is another key factor.
Interestingly, in our most recent review of dining establishments in Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra, more than 300 restaurants indicated that they serve “Contemporary Australian Cuisine”, but most were unable to give us an informative explanation or even the defining characteristics of such a cuisine. However, there is no doubt that the past 25 years have seen the food offered in Australian restaurants and on our tables at home change considerably. Over this time, a new food culture evolved in which quality and variety – in contrast to an earlier focus on quantity – became important to many Australians. And while trends and food fashions are ever-changing, not only in Australia but in all the world’s major culinary centres, it is clear that there are certain key pillars on which our “Aussie Cuisine” is based. It is these pillars that we wish to define and articulate – and, in so doing, we hope to give our cuisine, which we see as a core aspect of our culture, a clear identity, purpose and road map for the future.
To this end, we intend to conduct an exhaustive research project using data that we have collected from more than 1,000 restaurants, while leveraging our close relationships with chefs and restaurants. We will also seek the input of a range of professional associations, we will employ social media to conduct research on the preferences and habits of the dining public and we will analyse the menus of our restaurants. Finally, the results of our research will be presented and debated at an industry-wide Symposium in late 2017 to draft up a framework that will encompass the AussieCuisine.
I think this is a great idea! I cannot wait to read the findings.
Australian Cuisine is based (like all other cuisines) on its local produce. The question is if we allow / consider foreign produce (brought in by the first European settlers 200 years ago). Or if we allow / consider local Australian produce (plants and animals here since approx… 40-50’000 years – native Australian products) as part of the definition of Australian Cuisine. The current situation clearly favours the European (lately Asian) influenced cuisine based on foreign and now domesticated produce (plants and animals) as being the dominant direction in Australian Cuisine. On the other hand, Australian native Cuisine (Bushfood) as Australian ethnic Food had / has enormous successes overseas compared to very little recognition (except in the 1990’s) domestically.
In my opinion I suggest that so called “Australian Cuisine” still lacks deep-rooted connections to people living in Australia (except Indigenous people). The mix of different cultures, ethical and religious groups makes it almost impossible to find common deep-rooted grounds. In time (after 1-2 more Generations) Australia will have the historical and cultural base to clearly identify a national cuisine – Australian Cuisine with many specialities from different regions.
French or Italian Cuisine (the classics) needed hundreds’ of years to develop and still continuing doing so with new influences from people, cultures and produce..
In conclusion I believe that we (here in Australia) are living in exciting Culinary (Food) times as we continue to explore, absorb, include and recognize cultural aspects of produce which helps us to define our style of Cuisine further. The next generation of Chefs (and Consumers) both with cultural roots from overseas but with deeper family and cultural connections (belonging) and association with Australia (their local location in Australia) will ultimately become Australian Cuisine. I believe the process has begun already many years ago.
Australian Cuisine is exactly that, it’s ‘made is Oz’. It’s the delightful, intelligent, multicultural expose of of well considered and desperately wanting palates that have brought the paddock, field and ponds of this very vast land, accumulated by virtue of taste and cured by history and the hands of migration – well at least in part.