Food of Australia

Australian food is relaxed, outdoorsy, and multicultural, with barbecues, bakery pies, fresh seafood, and cafe breakfasts at its heart. Lamb, beef, kangaroo, barramundi, macadamias, and native bush ingredients like lemon myrtle and wattleseed mix with Greek, Italian, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Middle Eastern influences. Sweet treats like lamingtons and pavlova round out gatherings.

Meat pie
National dish

Meat pie

Flaky pie filled with minced beef gravy.

How to make Meat pie

Staples

  • lamb, beef, seafood, macadamia nuts, wheat, dairy, fruit

Signature flavors

  • lemon myrtle, wattleseed, bush tomato, vegemite, macadamia, native pepper

Main dishes

Meat pie
Meat pie

Flaky pie filled with minced beef gravy.

Key ingredients: beef, gravy, pastryFull guide →
Barbecue snags
Barbecue snags

Grilled sausages served in bread with onions.

Key ingredients: sausages, bread, onions
Lamb roast

Roast lamb with potatoes and vegetables.

Key ingredients: lamb, potatoes, rosemary
Fish and chips
Fish and chips

Battered fish with chips and lemon.

Key ingredients: fish, potatoesFull guide →
Barramundi
Barramundi

Mild white fish grilled or pan-fried.

Key ingredients: barramundi, lemon, butter
Chicken parmigiana
Chicken parmigiana

Crumbed chicken topped with tomato sauce and cheese.

Key ingredients: chicken, tomato sauce, cheese
Kangaroo steak
Kangaroo steak

Lean red meat, seared medium-rare.

Key ingredients: kangaroo, native pepper
Moreton Bay bugs
Moreton Bay bugs

Sweet flat lobster-like crustacean grilled with butter.

Key ingredients: bugs, garlic, butter
Chiko roll
Chiko roll

Fried snack roll with beef and vegetables.

Key ingredients: beef, cabbage, pastry
Sausage rolls
Sausage rolls

Flaky pastry with seasoned meat.

Key ingredients: sausage meat, puff pastry

Breakfast

Avocado toast
Avocado toast

Smashed avocado on sourdough with lime and chili.

Key ingredients: avocado, sourdough, lime
Vegemite on toast
Vegemite on toast

Salty spread on buttered toast.

Key ingredients: Vegemite, butter, bread
Smashed eggs

Poached eggs with greens and toast.

Key ingredients: eggs, spinach, toast
Big breakfast

Eggs, bacon, tomato, mushrooms, and toast.

Key ingredients: eggs, bacon, tomato
Fairy bread
Fairy bread

Buttered white bread with sprinkles, a party treat.

Key ingredients: bread, butter, sprinkles

Street food

Sausage sizzle
Sausage sizzle

Sausage in bread sold at fundraisers.

Key ingredients: sausage, bread, onions
Dim sim
Dim sim

Steamed or fried dumpling.

Key ingredients: pork, cabbage
Potato cake

Battered fried potato.

Key ingredients: potato, batter
Prawn rolls

Fresh prawn and mayonnaise rolls.

Key ingredients: prawns, mayonnaise
Pie floater
Pie floater

Pie sitting in pea soup.

Key ingredients: pie, pea soup

Soups

Pumpkin soup

Creamy roasted pumpkin soup.

Key ingredients: pumpkin, cream
Pea and ham soup

Hearty ham hock soup.

Key ingredients: peas, ham
Oxtail soup
Oxtail soup

Slow-cooked oxtail soup.

Key ingredients: oxtail, vegetables

Salads

Beetroot salad

Beetroot with feta and rocket.

Key ingredients: beetroot, feta
Prawn salad

Chilled prawns with avocado and lettuce.

Key ingredients: prawns, avocado
Coleslaw
Coleslaw

Creamy cabbage slaw for barbecues.

Key ingredients: cabbage, carrot, mayonnaise

Breads

Damper

Traditional bush bread baked in ashes or ovens.

Key ingredients: flour, salt, water
Cheese and Vegemite scroll

Baked scroll with cheese and spread.

Key ingredients: flour, cheese
Sourdough
Sourdough

Tangy loaf from local bakeries.

Key ingredients: flour, starter

Desserts and sweets

Lamington
Lamington

Sponge cube in chocolate and coconut.

Key ingredients: sponge, chocolate, coconutFull guide →
Pavlova
Pavlova

Meringue with cream and fruit.

Key ingredients: egg whites, cream, fruitFull guide →
Anzac biscuits
Anzac biscuits

Oat and coconut cookies.

Key ingredients: oats, coconut, golden syrup
Tim Tam
Tim Tam

Chocolate biscuit.

Key ingredients: chocolate, biscuit
Vanilla slice
Vanilla slice

Custard between pastry layers.

Key ingredients: puff pastry, custard
Golden Gaytime

Ice cream with honeycomb and toffee.

Key ingredients: ice cream
Pavlova trifle

Layered dessert with fruit and cream.

Key ingredients: cream, fruit

Drinks

Flat white
Flat white

Espresso with velvety steamed milk.

Key ingredients: espresso, milk
Long black
Long black

Espresso over hot water.

Key ingredients: espresso
Billy tea

Tea brewed in a can over a campfire.

Key ingredients: tea leaves
Iced Milo
Iced Milo

Chocolate malt drink over ice.

Key ingredients: Milo, milk
Lemonade

Fizzy lemonade.

Key ingredients: lemon, sugar

Fruits and produce

Macadamia nuts
Macadamia nuts

Creamy native nuts.

Key ingredients: eaten fresh, roasted
Mango
Mango

Kensington Pride from Queensland.

Key ingredients: eaten freshFull guide →
Finger lime
Finger lime

Native fruit with citrus pearls.

Key ingredients: garnish, sauces
Davidson plum
Davidson plum

Tart purple native plum.

Key ingredients: jam, sauces
Passionfruit
Passionfruit

Tangy pulp used on desserts.

Key ingredients: pavlova, cakesFull guide →
Pineapple
Pineapple

Queensland sweet pineapple.

Key ingredients: eaten freshFull guide →
Kiwifruit
Kiwifruit

Green and gold.

Key ingredients: eaten freshFull guide →

Dish guides from Australia

Fish and chips
Fish and chipsStreet food
Kiwifruit
KiwifruitFruits
Lamington
LamingtonDesserts and sweets
Mango
MangoFruits
Meat pie
Meat pieStreet food
Passion fruit
Passion fruitFruits
Pavlova
PavlovaDesserts and sweets
Pineapple
PineappleFruits
Explore Australia on Geographical EffectMaps, capital and cities, population, climate, landscapes and landmarks.

More cuisines of Australia and New Zealand

About this page

Descriptions written by Intercontinental Chef. Dishes are listed as commonly eaten today; many are shared across neighbouring countries.

Photo credits
  • MeatPie: Jonathunder, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Sausage Sizzle - Snowy Valley Resort AUD3.50: Alpha, CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Fish and chips blackpool: Matthias Meckel, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Lates calcarifer, 2014-09-19a: Mitch Ames, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Chicken parm at a diner: Oknazevad, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Kangaroo Meat: Eric in SF, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Flathausahumar: Helgabjorg, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Chiko roll in bag handheld: IanBailey at English Wikipedia, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Sausage roll - One Market, One Garden Brighton (cropped): Andy Li, CC0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Avocado toast at Voyager Espresso (33134505776): Bex Walton from London, England, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Vegemite: Vegemite, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Fairy Bread: Gemsling, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Fried and steamed dim sim (cropped): Finbar.concaig, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Pie floater in Adelaide SA: Unknown, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Oxtail soup with sliced bread-93321: Raimond Spekking, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • 2015-12-20 Spitzkohlsalat mit Möhren anagoria: Anagoria, CC BY 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Home made sour dough bread: Tomascastelazo, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Mocha Flake amingtons: Zeitgeistlondon, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Pavlova dessert: Hazel Fowler, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
  • ANZAC biscuits (14 April 2006): me (w:User:pfctdayelise), CC BY-SA 2.5 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Tim Tams: Bilby, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Vanille Slice Australia: MDRX, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Flat white coffee with pretty feather pattern: GeorgeMichaelFarewell, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Nero Espresso long black (3168418775): anthony_p_c, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Australian milo: Monkeyblue 03:04, 19 May 2007 (UTC), CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Macadamia nuts on tree: MorePix, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Mangos - single and halved: Ivar Leidus, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Finger lime with juice vesicles and seeds partially extracted: Ivar Leidus, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Davidsonia jerseyana flower1: Zaareo, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Passiflora edulis forma flavicarpa: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
  • കൈതച്ചക്ക: Suniltg at Malayalam Wikipedia, CC BY 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Actinidia fruits: Crowhurst et al., CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)