Australian food quest.

Oceania is a region made up of thousands of islands throughout the Central and South Pacific Ocean. It includes Australia, the smallest continent in terms of total land area. Most of Australia and Oceania is under the Pacific, a vast body of water that is larger than all the Earth’s continental landmasses and islands combined. The name “Oceania” justly establishes the Pacific Ocean as the defining characteristic of the continent.Oceania is dominated by the nation of Australia. The other two major landmasses of Oceania are the microcontinent  of Zealandia, which includes the country of New Zealand, and the eastern half of the island of New Guinea, made up of the nation of Papua New Guinea. Oceania also includes three island regions: Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia (including the U.S. state of Hawaii).

Oceania can be divided into three island groups: continental islands, high islands, and low islands. Australia, Zealandia, and New Guinea are continental islands. The island region of Melanesia contains many high islands because it is a major part of the “Ring of Fire,” a string of volcanoes around the boundary of the Pacific Ocean. The island regions of Micronesia and Polynesia are dominated by low islands.

Oceania is the smallest continent of our planet considering the landmass.Oceania is in a continental group consisting of 14 countries and includes Pacific islands and Australia. The largest island of Oceania is Australia. The Oceania region includes 14 countries: Australia, Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Zealand, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.Oceania spreads over a vast area from 28 degrees North in the northern hemisphere to 55 degrees South in the southern hemisphere.

Oceania's biggest and most populous city is Sydney. More than 5 million people live in Australia's biggest city. Sydney has the most diverse and multicultural population in Oceania. More than 250 languages are spoken here.Australia is the biggest and leading economy on the continent. New Zealand is the only other large economy on the continent. Mining, manufacturing and tourism are the main economic sectors of the region.

(fairy bread)

Oceania is home to some amazing traditional foods cuisines, delicacies and cultural delights.

  Since the region of Oceania consists of islands, seafood is a prominent part of the diet, with vegetables such as potatoes sweet potato, taro and yams being the main starch. Coconut, and its derivative products such as coconut milk, coconut oil and coconut sugar are an important ingredient in the tropics of Oceania.

(Pavlova board)

Australian cuisine is the food and cooking practices of Australia and its inhabitants. Australia is a melting pot of culture and tradition. Meaning, its cuisine draws upon Indigenous, European and Asian flavours and cooking techniques. First, Australian food has its Indigenous community that is the diverse input of Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and other Oceania people and natural landscape to thank for meats like fish, emu, kangaroo and wallaby. This means that Australian cuisine is a blend. A blend of lots of influences from over the years. Australian is an all encompassing cuisine that has pinched bits from here and there, taken traditional ingredients and created dishes that are its very own.

(Lamingtons)

Some of the most popular and traditional dishes enjoyed by people are , Vegemite, meat pie's, toast, fairy bread, fish and chips, chicken parmigiana, Aussie BBQ, Pavlova, Lamingtons, golden gaytime, snags, Arnotts biscuits, Milo, Bowen mangoes, twisties & cheezels, cherry ripes, sausage rolls, chiko rolls, kangaroo, roast lamb, barramundi, fantales, Tim tams etc.........

(Maori hangi) 

New Zealand's cuisine has been described as Pacific Rim, drawing inspiration from Europe, Asia and Polynesia. A mixture of British and Maori influence can be seen on their cuisine. This blend of influences has created a mouth-watering range of flavours and food in cafes and restaurants nationwide.Much of New Zealand's cuisine has British origins, as did most of New Zealand's settlers who are also known as kiwis. New Zealand has few indigenous vegetables. Māori introduced some, including kūmara (sweet potato). Later, Māori also adopted the potato and maize (corn), which had been introduced by Europeans. For dishes that have a distinctly New Zealand style, there's lamb, pork and cervena (venison), salmon, crayfish (lobster), Bluff oysters, whitebait, paua (abalone), mussels, scallops, pipis and tuatua (both are types of New Zealand shellfish), kumara (sweet potato), kiwifruit, tamarillo and pavlova, the national dessert.

(Meat pie's)

The dishes which are most enjoyed by kiwis are crayfish and seafood, maori hangi, New Zealand lamb, fish & chips, kiwi summer BBQ, Pavlova and fruit salad, lollies, chocolate and sweet treats, meat pie's, artisan cheese, kumara chips, cheerios, hokey pokey ice cream, rewena parao ( Maori bread), kiwi burger, jaffas, wine,  beer and other drinks......

(Tahitian poisson cru)

Polynesia is a subregion of Oceania, made up of more than 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean. The indigenous people who inhabit the islands of Polynesia are called Polynesians.The six countries in Polynesia are New Zealand, Solomon islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Samoa.

 Polynesian cuisine offers a wide variety of specialities, mostly based on seafood and exotic fruit, with French and Chinese influences. Dishes tend to use relatively few spices and often include coconut milk, ginger, lime, vanilla or tamarind.

Some of the mouth watering Polynesian dishes are sausage and gravy, panipopo, half moon pineapple pie, otai, koelepalau, po'e, Fijian curry, meat pie, egg bacon and cheese quiche, pork salad, huli huli chicken burgers, polynesian meatballs, Hawaiian chicken with coconut rice, malasadas, Tahitian poisson cru, Samoan spice cake, firi firi and many more.

(Hawaiian chicken with coconut rice)

Micronesia is a subregion of Oceania, consisting of thousands of small islands in the western Pacific Ocean. Micronesia consists of Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Guam.

(Coconut chicken curry)

The cuisine of Micronesia, the staple foods are taro, yam, bread-fruit, coconuts and bananas. Rice is also an important imported staple. The ocean provides fish, and shellfish of all varieties.

Micronesia are authentic and have a distinct taste adored by many. Few of the popular dishes one must try are Micronesia coconut chicken curry, mahi umw, kon, uter, pihlohlo mwehng, sakau, kelaguen, jekaro brioche bread, koahpnoair koakihr, micronesian pudding and chicken micronesia.

(Kelaguen)

Melanesia is located in the South Pacific Ocean. Melanesia is a subregion of Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It extends from the island of New Guinea in the west to Tonga in the east, and includes the Arafura Sea. The region includes the four independent countries of Fiji, Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, and Papua New Guinea. 

Traditional crops, like banana, taro and wild foods, mushrooms, wild greens are an important part of the diet, but now imported foods, like Irish potatoes have come to the market. This influence from outside has brought watermelons, tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant.

(Wild mushrooms & sweet potatoes)

Oceania adds something different to food. Delicious food and exciting recipes. With a mixture of Western and Asian cooking techniques and exciting local ingredients, you will certainly taste the difference. I hope you enjoyed this culinary quest and i wish it will help you in understanding the Australian food scene.