An Australian Christmas – Food

Most of you readers come from the Northern Hemisphere so for you Christmas is all about cold mornings, large hot lunches, and possibly snow. In Australia, it’s about sun, the beach, and often inappropriate large hot lunches. This is a bit of a series about Christmas in Australia.

Like all Christmases all around the world, food is a big part of an Australian Christmas. However, we do have a somewhat schizophrenic attitude to it. It’s all to do with the weather. We have hot Christmases here, even Sydney can get the occasional 35 degree Celsius day, so the question all comes down to do you go for a stodgy traditional hot Christmas lunch, or do you go for the modern Australian approach of seafood.

Australia was a British colony, so we have all the British traditions to live up to. Roast turkey with stuffing, roast potatoes and pumpkin, hot vegetables and steamy plum pudding for desert is all delicious, but imagine eating it when it’s 35 degrees outside. No don’t imagine eating it, image cooking it when it’s 35 degrees outside. But still, in my family we regularly do the big hot lunch. What can I say; we’re insane, like much of Australia.

The other (more sensible option) is the more modern Australian option of seafood. Lines to fish markets on Christmas day and before can be hundreds of people long. Oysters, prawns, salmon, lobster, crab, all yummy and all so quick to cook, keeping the kitchen cool. Desert might be trifle, hmmm trifle. If you’re lucky, I’ll even provide you with a recipe tomorrow.

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