In Australia, the word for dessert is generally just "dessert," similar to American English, but they have iconic local sweets like Pavlova (a meringue with cream and fruit) and Lamingtons (sponge cake in chocolate and coconut) that are considered national emblems, while "lollies" refers to sweets or candy, not the British "lollies" with sticks.
Pavlova. The quintessential Aussie dessert is the Pavlova. A soft marshmallow encased in a crisp but delicate meringue shell topped with whipped cream and your favourite assortment of fresh fruit.
30 traditional Aussie desserts
Now that all seems fairly straight-forward, until we learn that lolly is actually the Australian word for sweets – i.e. British lollies but without the sticks. In other words, the correct translation for “Süßigkeiten” in Australia is “lollies”.
Why do Australians call sweets “lollies”, even when they have no sticks? According to British English from A to Zed by Norman Schur (Harper, 1991) “lolly” derives onomatopoetically for the mouth sounds associated with sucking or licking. The word “lollipop” came later.
A pudding usually is a dish of more homely or rustic. A dessert is lighter and more sophisticated, such as chocolate mousse. However, the word Dessert is rarely used by the British upper class. Some fine restaurants and private clubs would use Pudding to refer to the sweet course.
Sweet as
Australians frequently put the word “as” after adjectives to give them greater emphasis, though the most common example is “sweet as.” This term is used to replace exclamations like “great” or “awesome.” It's similar to sayings in American English like “easy as pie” or “sweet as honey.”
Pavlova – Australia's Quintessential Dessert
No dessert is as fiercely associated with Australia as the pavlova. This light, airy meringue dessert, topped with whipped cream and fresh fruits like kiwifruit, strawberries, or passionfruit, has been a part of Australian festivities for decades.
Common Australian slang for a girl includes "Sheila" (older, sometimes dated or slightly derogatory), "chick," or just using general terms like "mate," "gal," or "lass," with context and tone being important, but "girl" is still widely used; some slang, like "moll," can refer to a girlfriend or a promiscuous woman, while "bogan" describes an unsophisticated person.
The most iconic Australian cake is the Lamington, a simple yet beloved treat of sponge cake dipped in chocolate icing and rolled in desiccated coconut, often filled with jam or cream, representing Aussie tradition and found at every bake sale and celebration. Another strong contender is the Pavlova, a meringue-based dessert with a crisp crust, soft marshmallowy center, topped with whipped cream, fruit, and sometimes passionfruit, a staple for parties and barbecues.
These nine desserts – cake, cookies, ice cream, fruit desserts, pie, cheesecake, pudding/custard, brownies, and gelato – represent just a glimpse into the vast and delicious world of sweet treats.
There are ten deserts in Australia: the Great Victoria Desert, Great Sandy Desert, Tanami Desert, Simpson Desert, Gibson Desert, Little Sandy Desert, Strzelecki Desert, Sturt Stony Desert, Tirari Desert and Pedirka Desert. Only 3% of the Australian population live in the desert.
Lamington. The world-famous Australian culinary icon Lamington consists of a sponge cake that is dipped in chocolate and sprinkled with finely desiccated coconut. The cake is believed to have been created by accident when Lord Lamington's maid accidentally dropped his favorite cake in melted chocolate.
Dessert is a noun
Dessert (pronounced [deh-zert]) is a noun referring to the sweet final course of a meal. Unlike “desert,” it has only one meaning and is never used as a verb. Example: Dessert in a sentence The main course was so filling that she didn't order any dessert.
Lamingtons, originated in Australia, are considered the “national cake of Australia”. It's a combination of everything that we love to eat in a dessert.
In Australia and New Zealand, lollies is the go-to word for what Americans call candy and Brits call sweets. The term likely comes from the old English dialect word lolly, meaning "tongue". Over time, it evolved to refer to treats that make you want to keep licking or chewing.
Pavlova is a meringue-based dessert popular in Australia and New Zealand, and supposedly named after the Russian ballet dancer, Anna Pavlova. The outer shell is delightfully crunchy, the inside soft and marshmallow-y.
Another classic case of Australians shortening everything. Meaning 'thank you', ta is usually used for the times when you are in a rush or want to send a quick text to show your appreciation for something.
Derro, a slang Australian term for a dishevelled & unkempt person - synonymous with the American term wino. Abbreviated from Derelict. Derro, an evil subrace of underdark-dwelling dwarves in the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game.
Unless qualified, however, pudding usually means dessert and in the United Kingdom, pudding is used as a synonym for dessert. Puddings made for dessert can be boiled and steamed puddings, baked puddings, bread puddings, batter puddings, milk puddings or jellies.
Synonyms of desserts
[pood-ing] / ˈpʊd ɪŋ / NOUN. mousse. STRONG. custard junket tapioca.