Native Australian food, known as "bush tucker," includes diverse plants like wattleseed, lemon myrtle, kakadu plum, quandong, finger limes, macadamia nuts, bunya nuts, bush tomatoes, and warrigal greens, alongside meats from animals like kangaroo, emu, and witchetty grubs, offering rich, unique flavours from earthy to citrusy, used in traditional ways (damper, ground seeds) and modern cuisine (sauces, spices, drinks).
Animal native foods include kangaroo, emu, witchetty grubs and crocodile, and plant foods include fruits such as quandong, kutjera, spices such as lemon myrtle and vegetables such as warrigal greens and various native yams.
Roast lamb has been declared Australia's national dish in a major poll that shows we're still a country of meat eaters at heart. The poll, held on News Ltd websites across all mainland capitals, attracted more than 24,000 votes. It revealed three clear front-runners – all of them meat-based.
Popular Australian Food
What food did Australia invent?
Youlk is an Australian native root vegetable from the carrot and parsnip family. It has firm, crisp flesh and a mild, sweet flavour. It can be prepared and eaten in a variety of ways, including peeled or unpeeled in salads, sautéed as a side, or baked whole. Youlk will last more than a month when stored in the fridge.
Vegemite is perhaps the most celebrated Australian food, instantly recognisable by its distinctive taste and branding. This dark, salty spread is a staple in Australian homes, famously enjoyed on toast with a generous layer of butter.
From Mum's shepherd's pie to creamy garlic prawns to hearty beef rissoles, nothing says classic Aussie dinners quite like these. Dig in!
Australia's #1 most-loved dinner: roast lamb
Other dinners in the top 10 included a good old Aussie backyard barbie, chicken parmigiana, a hot chook from the supermarket (aka 'bachelor's handbag') and, of course, spag bol. Australia's favourite recipe is roast lamb.
Tim Tams are a classic Aussie treat. They are also one of the most popular Aussie Treats to take overseas as a gift. HOWEVER, what you might not know, is that they are widely available in supermarkets in the US, UK and other international destinations.
Foods like cornbread, turkey, cranberry, blueberry, hominy, and mush have been adopted into the cuisine of the broader United States population from Native American cultures. Wild rice is a native traditional food of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and some areas of North Dakota.
Pavlova is a popular and a national dessert in Australia. It is a meringue-base cake that has a light and crisp crust with a soft marshmallow center.
In South Australia, the snag reigned supreme, in Victoria lamb galloped into the top spot while in NSW the meat pie was the most popular dish. So there you have it, roast lamb has been voted as Australia's national dish, closely followed by the good old meat pie and the classic snag on the BBQ.
15 bush tucker ingredients you should know
Australian cuisine is a vibrant fusion of global influences and native ingredients, shaped by our country's multicultural population and diverse landscapes. Rather than being bound by tradition, Australian food embraces innovation – blending bush foods like wattleseed and emu with Asian spices and European techniques.
Though Australian cuisine is blended with many Asian and Mediterranean dishes, truly traditional Australian food lies in bush tucker, fresh seafood and something to soak up the ale. Not to mention the delectable pastries and sweets you'll wish you knew about your whole life!
A lamington is an Australian cake made from squares of butter cake or sponge cake coated in an outer layer of chocolate sauce and rolled in desiccated coconut. The thin mixture is absorbed into the outside of the sponge cake and left to set, giving the cake a distinctive texture.
The most popular food in Australia is widely considered the meat pie, an iconic hand-held pastry filled with minced meat and gravy, followed closely by other staples like roast lamb (a Sunday dinner favorite), chicken parmigiana (a pub classic), and Vegemite on toast. Other beloved items include smashed avocado on toast, fish and chips, and sweet treats like Pavlova and Anzac biscuits.
Meat Pie. When it comes to Australian food, I think that the humble meat pie likely tops the list. The closest thing to a meat pie in the US is a "pot pie", but that doesn't begin to describe it. A meat pie is traditionally a "takeaway" food item, held with the hand, and eaten at sporting events.
Chinese food is popular in Australia due to its long history starting with gold rush migrants who established early restaurants, evolving from adapted Cantonese dishes (like sweet & sour pork) for Western palates to diverse, authentic regional options, and becoming deeply embedded in Australian culture as a staple takeaway and dine-in choice, now embracing modern takes from younger chefs alongside traditional favourites. Its appeal lies in its early integration, adaptability, communal sharing style, and recent diversification reflecting increased migration and culinary curiosity.
Australians call McDonald's "Macca's," a common nickname that became so popular the company embraced it, even changing some store signs to "Macca's" and using the term in advertising and their app. This fits the Australian habit of shortening names with an "-a" or "-o" suffix, like "barbie" for barbecue.
From Kakadu plum, Davidson plum and riberry to lemon aspen and finger limes, Australian native fruits are as diverse as they are flavoursome. Some fruits are consumed as whole fruit when ripe, however, their potent...
So what is the most popular vegetable in Australia?
The Riberry is also Australia's national fruit! The small, round berries on both grow in large clusters and ripen to a deep crimson hue, with Lilly Pilly's also ranging in violet, pink, purple, blue and white.