Australia Day Food

by Gayle Reynolds · Published January 6, 2022 · Updated January 18, 2022

The land Down Under is home to plenty of delicious sweet and savoury fare, but here are 10 iconic foods we can truly celebrate this Australia Day.

1. Lamington

The tasty lamington is certainly one of Australia's edible national symbols; there's even a National Lamington Day on July 21.

2. Meat pie

They're a staple at sporting events and parties and the cause of many a burnt tongue — the humble meat pie is the epitome of Australian food.

3. Vegemite

Vegemite on toast — A jar of Vegemite was the first product to be electronically scanned at an Australian supermarket in 1984.(Flickr: Janeen)

Love it or hate it, after 90 years Vegemite is still an Australian breakfast staple.

4. Pavlova

Pavlova with fruit and cream — The pav is a popular dessert on Chrismtas Day — or any occasion for that matter.(Pixabay: ponce_photography)

Both Australia and New Zealand claim to have invented pavlova in honour of Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova, who visited both countries in the 1920s.

5. Tim Tam

A plate of Tim Tam biscuits — Have you ever wished for a never-ending plate of Tim Tams?(Wikimedia Commons: Bilby)

Two chocolate biscuits filled with a chocolate cream centre and covered in more chocolate — these biscuits aren't good for anyone watching their waist line.

6. Anzac biscuit

They're a big part of the Anzac tradition and commemorations, but the sweet chewy (or crispy) biscuits we know and love weren't actually eaten by troops at Gallipoli.

7. Chiko roll

Three Chiko Rolls on a plate — At the peak of its popularity in the 1960s and 1970s, 40 million Chiko Rolls were sold in Australia each year.(ABC News: Dan Conifer)

The true home of the Chiko roll has long been debated. Is it Wagga Wagga, Bathurst or Bendigo?

8. Sausage sandwich

A sausage sandwich — Simple yet delicious, it is hard to go past a hot BBQ sausage sandwich.(Alpha/Flickr CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

There's nothing more Australian than getting together for a barbecue with family and friends.

9. Weet-Bix

Weet-bix in a bowel of milk — Weet-Bix can be found in most pantries across Australia and is one of the country's top-selling breakfast cereals.(ABC Radio Canberra: Gabrielle Rumble) "Aussie kids are Weet-Bix kids." Like the song suggests, many of us grew up eating this flaked cereal biscuit with milk for breakfast.

10. Burger with the lot

Burger with lot — It is hard to go past the great Aussie meal that is a burger with the lot.(Flickr: Alpha)

The traditional hamburger may be an American thing, but the Aussies have made the "burger with the lot" their own by adding some true blue flavours.

Honourable mentions

There are plenty of other truly Aussie foods that just missed out on a top 10 spot.

Honourable mentions must go to:

Milo
Vanilla slice
Neenish tart
Macadamia nuts
Golden Gaytime
Splice
Dagwood dogs
Dim sims
SAO biscuits
Cherry Ripe
Iced VoVo
Burger Rings
Prawns on the barbie
Grilled kangaroo and crocodile

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