CULTURAL INFLUENCES ON
FOOD CHOICE IN
AUSTRALIA
For more than 200 years, influences from
countries and cultures around the world have
broadened Australia’s cuisine.
FOOD IN AUSTRALIA
The variety of foods that Australians
consume today is influenced by many
factors.
You will explore the historical
influences on food in Australia; and
how both early European settlers
and continuing immigration from
other
diverse
cultures
have
influenced food available today.
USE OF FOODS
 The
NATIVE TO
AUSTRALIA
culture, history and food of each
country are influenced by both its
Indigenous people and those people
who have migrated from other
countries around the world.
USE OF FOODS
 For
NATIVE TO
AUSTRALIA
over 40 000 years, Australia’s cuisine
was derived from its Indigenous foods,
with the Indigenous people leading a
nomadic lifestyle as hunters and
gatherers, moving from place to place and
finding food as they went
EARLY EUROPEAN INFLUENCES
 European
settlers had a major
influence on the diets of modern
Australians. Since many of the
native foods were foreign and
challenging to European tastes.
 European
settlers brought their own
foods to Australia, such as flour and
beef.
DIET OF EARLY EUROPEANS
•Flour was a staple ingredient it was
used to make bread and damper.
•Meat consumed was beef, pork or
mutton. It was usually salted or dried to
preserve it as there was no refrigeration.
•Salt was therefore extremely valued
because of its ability to preserve meat or
be used as a flavouring.
• The staple drink was tea
EARLY EUROPEAN FOOD CUSTOMS
 The
food customs of the Europeans were
not suited to the harsh Australian
climate.
 The settlers lacked knowledge about the
Australian environment and thus planted
at the wrong time of the year, resulting in
poor growth and, in turn, a limited supply
of food.
 The lack of food meant that the settlers
experienced
malnutrition
and
had
insufficient energy to work and farm the
land.
EARLY EUROPEAN FOOD CUSTOMS
 The
settlers’
failure
at
farming
necessitated their recognition and use of
the native foods and plants.
 Native meats such as kangaroo, wallaby,
emu and possum were unfamiliar
 Over the years, the Europeans introduced
deer and rabbits into the country for
hunting. These animals have now become
pests
to
Australian
farmers
and
environmentalists.
IMPACT OF EUROPEAN SETTLEMENT
ON INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIANS
 Indigenous
Australians
were
hunter–gatherers before European
settlement
 Their nomadic lifestyle meant plenty
of physical activity, and their daily
diet varied according to the types of
plants and animals available in the
particular location and season
 Most foods were eaten raw, but some
were roasted or baked
IMPACT OF EUROPEAN SETTLEMENT
ON INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIANS
 With
European settlement, the diet of
Indigenous Australians changed to
include Western foods, such as flour,
sugar and processed meat.
 Today, the diet of Indigenous Australians
tends to be high in kilojoules, low in
nutritional value, and high in fats and
sugar.
 The limited opportunities to hunt and
gather mean physical activity levels are
greatly reduced.
EFFECTS OF IMMIGRATION ON
LIFESTYLE AND FOOD HABITS
 During
the gold rushes of the mid-1800s,
many people came to Australia—
particularly the goldfields in Bathurst,
Bendigo and Ballarat—intent on making
their fortune.
 Most of these people came from Britain
and China. After the gold rushes, many
Chinese people settled in Australia
 The Chinese grew their traditional foods,
such as bok choy, for themselves but
traditional cabbages to sell to others.
EFFECTS OF IMMIGRATION ON
LIFESTYLE AND FOOD HABITS
 After
the Second World War, the
government policy was to increase
population with a subsidised scheme of
migration;
 This
migration brought with it an
influence of the culture, customs and food
patterns
of
these
countries.
The
introductions of spaghetti bolognaise and
souvlaki.
EFFECTS OF IMMIGRATION ON
LIFESTYLE AND FOOD HABITS
 Migrants
into Australia bought with them
their traditional foods:
EFFECTS OF IMMIGRATION ON
LIFESTYLE AND FOOD HABITS
 Today,
we
PREPARATION TECHNIQUES AND
COOKING METHODS
 Immigration
has also introduced a variety
of preparation techniques and cooking
methods to Australia.
EVOLUTION
OF AN
 Australia’s
AUSTRALIAN
CUISINE
cuisine has definitely
evolved over the past century with
immigration: we still include some of
our traditional foods from the
European settlers, but a range of
new foods, flavours and techniques
have been incorporated into our
cuisine.
EVOLUTION OF AN AUSTRALIAN CUISINE
 Modern
Australian cuisine includes
multicultural
influences
and
creativity, and is still changing and
developing. It allows for innovation
to flourish; for example, often
Australian chefs create ‘fusion foods’
in which there is a fusion of culinary
styles and influences, namely
European and Asian.