Australia Country Introduction and Recipes
History of Australia
- Even before James Cook discovered Australia in 1770, Europeans suspected its existence. They figured that the world had a landmass on the other side of the earth to balance out the weight of Europe. They thought this landmass was what kept the planet from tipping.
- In 1788, Britain established Australia as a “penal colony." All of Britain’s convicts were shipped to Australia to keep from overcrowding British jail! Over 160,000 convicts were sent.
- The country finally became a commonwealth in 1901.
- From 1900-1970, the government stole children of aboriginals from their parents and placed them with white families to facilitate the dying out of aboriginal culture.
Language
- ‘Australian Understatement’ is when Australian phrases diminish the severity of situations. “A bit of bother” means someone is in serious trouble. Additionally, "Done all right” means that someone has achieved a great success.
- Dictionary
- The boot- trunk of a car
- Brolly- umbrella
- Cuppa- a cup of tea
- Arvo- afternoon
- Nup- nope
Lifestyle
- Cricket is the most common sport in Australia
- People relocate often for work or personal reasons, so contact with families is at times infrequent. Australians do make an effort to come home for Christmas and Easter.
Influence on Australia
Australian food was traditionally British food. Now many different cultures showcase their food, including Thai, Indian, Chinese, etc. Eating local meat has now gained in popularity, including kangaroo, emu, and turtle.
Flavors of Australia
Meat pie is the national dish. Lamingtons-- sponge cake coated in chocolate and coconut-- are a very popular dessert, along with pavlova, a meringue shell filled with ice cream and fruit.
Australians are the largest consumers of chocolate in the world, and barbecue is one of their favorite dinners! One the of most popular condiments in the country is vegemite, a salty paste made from yeast extract.
Try the flavors of Australia and see what you think!