Australia's (current) national dish
When you think of a country’s identity, there’s a few things that come to mind. Maybe a few universally known phrases, a bonjour here, a ni hao there, maybe the odd aloha - and we all know you’ve thrown ciao around, too.
Besides that - food is another key cultural sign of a country’s identity. If I asked you where pizza is from - you’d know the answer. Baguette? Sushi? Sunday roast? Hamburgers? Haggis, even? Bet you know them too.
But if I ask what Australia’s national dish is, you’d be forgiven for taking a moment to think about it. Could it be the humble meat pie? Fish and chips? Spaghetti bolognaise? Chicken schnitzel?
The truth is this: Australia’s national dish is subject to change.
As a young country, Australia has gone through significant changes, and so too has our national dish. The beauty is that these changes are so widely varied in origin. DIY television shows, house prices and immigration to name a few.
Since the First Fleet arrived, you could argue that Australia’s national dish would be British influenced. Roast lamb, meat pies or fish and chips would be on most dinner tables. And that’s fair enough, it’s a reflection of the demographics at that time.
Then, with World War 2, came a huge influx of immigration - Italians in particular. In time, spaghetti bolognaise became one of Australia’s common dinners. Suddenly, Australia’s shift in culture is reflected in what the majority of us eat. At the time of mass Italian immigration, their culture was alienated and snubbed. Nowadays, spaghetti bolognaise is immortalised in Aussie culture with its own abbreviation: spagbol.
How about a good old fashioned sausage sizzle? I remember having them at school events, soccer on the weekend and everywhere in between. In the early 2000’s, with the growth of DIY home improvement shows, hardware stores became a regular weekend fixture for many people.
Bunnings had local charity organisations selling sausages on white bread (and onion!). One of the most basic and easily prepared foods, ever. The DIY culture may have eased up a little, but it’s not a Bunnings visit unless you drop $2.50 on a sausage sizzle. Some argue it’s unaustralian to skip it.
And here we are today. Let me go ahead and say that our current national dish is smashed avocado on toast.
Here’s my argument:
An aging population is making way for the younger generations. House prices have soared well beyond wage growth. Many have young people have given up on property ownership, so instead of saving money - we’re spending it.
Bernard Salt famously (or infamously) wrote:
“I have seen young people order smashed avocado with crumbled feta on five-grain toasted bread at $22 a pop and more. I can afford to eat this for lunch because I am middle-aged and have raised my family. But how can young people afford to eat like this? Shouldn't they be economising by eating at home? How often are they eating out? Twenty-two dollars several times a week could go towards a deposit on a house. “
The comment caused a national uproar on both sides. Older people doubling down and agreeing, and younger people highlighting insane house prices that no level of avocado economisation could absolve.
And in our culture, where the ‘Australian Dream’ is to own your own house, smashed avocado on toast is catapulted to national dish status, as a symbol of this debate.
Secondly, Australian cafe culture is second to none. Sure, we don’t grow it (Kenya), we never mastered its preparation (Italy) - but we’ve built the culture. Over the last ten years, Australian food culture has been surging towards brunch.
We’re laidback and lazy - so to be able to have smashed avo any time between 7am - 3pm suits us just fine. We’re also creative and curious - with our multicultural, health-conscious society, cafes are always dishing up something new and exciting. There’s a bit of wankiness, with deconstructed coffees and rainbow lattes - but it all adds to the fun.
The point is, no other country on the planet does it like we do. Many countries are taking our lead, and you’ll find Australian style cafes in Kuala Lumpur, Prague, Paris and everywhere in between.
Suddenly, smashed avocado is viewed as an Australian dish treated with reverence and novelty all over the world.
So with that in mind, my humble submission for Australia’s current national dish is clear.
And of course - you know it’s Australian, as it has its own abbreviation: smashed avo.