Food & cultureBy Clever Tourists · Published
Australia has four main chains and a clear hierarchy: Coles and Woolworths are the duopoly, ALDI is cheaper for basics, and IGA and Foodland fill in the smaller towns. The surprise for northern-hemisphere visitors is the calendar: summer is December, so the produce and the holidays are inverted.
Vegemite is the yeast extract spread, and the correct way to eat it is thinly on buttered toast. A thick spread is why most visitors hate it.
Tim Tams are chocolate biscuits designed to be bitten at both ends and used as a straw for tea or coffee. There are many flavours and the original is the reference point.
Weet-Bix is the breakfast biscuit eaten with milk and sugar, and Milo is the malted drink, both genuinely part of daily life rather than novelty.
Anzac biscuits and lamingtons are the bakery items, and macadamia nuts and good honey are the things that travel best.
Prawns are the Christmas food, bought fresh in large quantities in the days before, and eaten cold.
Mangoes and cherries are also Christmas food, because December is their season.
The meal is often a barbecue rather than an oven roast, for obvious reasons.
This inverts what a northern-hemisphere visitor expects, and it also means the seasonal produce advice is the opposite of home.
Summer (December to February) is stone fruit, mango, cherries and berries.
Autumn (March to May) is apples, pears and figs.
Winter (June to August) is citrus and root vegetables.
Spring (September to November) is asparagus and the start of the stone fruit.
Bring your own bags. Single-use plastic bags are banned in most states, and shops charge for reusable ones.
Alcohol is sold separately in many states. Supermarkets in Victoria and New South Wales can sell it, but in others you need a bottle shop or a licensed section.
Sunday trading exists but some smaller shops close early, and public holidays can shut things entirely.
Card and contactless are universal, and some places are effectively cashless.
Thinly spread on buttered toast. A thick layer is why most visitors dislike it.
Prawns, mangoes, cherries and a barbecue, because December is midsummer.
Yes. Single-use plastic bags are banned in most states, so bring a reusable bag or buy one at the till.
Summer (December to February) for stone fruit, mango and cherries; winter (June to August) for citrus.
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