December 2024
There is a view that Australian cuisine was woeful before the influx post-World War 2 of migrants from Middle European countries beginning in 1947. Engagement with their cuisines – often grouped together as ‘Continental’ – through cafes, restaurants, and delicatessens – is seen as broadening Australian cuisine.
The view is only partially correct. The volume of opportunities for engagement was increased. But this view overlooks the opportunities for engagement with Middle European cuisines that existed before 1947. I can’t quantify the engagements for lack of any data. What I can do is describe and comment on the opportunities.
