Today the Aussie palate is as distinctive as the Aussie accent. Born from necessity, scarcity, and pure creativity, the food of the early Australian settlers represents a true blend of multicultural influences.


With each nationality came culinary ideas from the "homeland" that transformed Australian fare into a truly international menu. From staple roasts, stews and sweet sugary puddings of the English and Irish to Chinese spices, Italian coffee, garlic, and herbs as well as Scandinavian and German pastries, all enhanced with luxurious French marinades and sauces, in culinary terms, the period from 1850 to 1900 saw the Australian diet at its most transformative.


While some may say the Australian food revolution of the colonial period has only been recently rivalled, what can be found in the history of our food, well before the lamingtons and Vegemite, is the basis for what we know today as typical and everyday Australian fare.


This collection of over 300 vintage period recipes and household hints will challenge many modern cooks as an adventure into the imprecise, impractical and purely inventive world of the Australian colonial kitchen.