By Betsy Newman and Graeme Newman

Take a culinary adventure to "the land down under" with Good Food from Australia! From the famous Vegemite Sandwich to grilling on the "barbie," the authors provide a generous collection of over 150 genuine Australian favorites. Start off with Egg and Bacon Pie (what real Australian men eat!), then sample some hearty Pocket Steak Melbourne or Dandenong Rabbit Pie, with a side of Victoria Salad, and top it all off with a slice of Maisie's Chocolate Peppermint Cake. You can even learn to drink a "cuppa tea" and a beer like a real Aussie! Reflecting the great variety and range of Australian cooking, some of the sections included in this cookbook are: "The Australian Melting Pot," "Steaks, Chops, and Snags," "Casseroles and Curries, "Cookies and Slices," and of course, "Outback Cooking." From the exotic and outlandish--Kangaroo Tail Soup and Fried Tiger Snake- to tried and true favorites like Hamburger Hot Pot and Banana Tea Cake, give your cooking some real Australian flavor with these unique recipes, specially adapted for the American kitchen.

NY. Hippocrene Books. 1997. 273p.

Edited by Colin Heston

This quaint, but very informative book reveals what home life was like in 1940s Australia. The book, faithfully preserved, represents writing at the local level, offering sage advice for housekeepers, handy men and women, whether in the kitchen, the car, the garden or laundry. Given the time, the middle of World War 2, the upbeat advice conveys an aura of hope and earthiness, a truly “get it done” attitude, much needed in time of war.

In the first half of the 20th century, before fast foods (except for fish and chips) appeared in Australia, home cooking, family dinners and cut lunches ruled the day. Mothers spent their time in the kitchen and, except for a brief period during World War II, they stayed there. They inherited recipes from their own mothers, and shared them as well with relatives and friends. Although many of the recipes and cooking practices were typically English, many came from the Irish, the Chinese who tried their luck in the gold fields in the 1850s, and after World War II, from European immigrants, especially Italian and Greek. Pub lunches led the way in the latter part of the 20th century, followed by take-out restaurants, coffee shops, and restaurants of almost any cultural origin. Today in the 21st century, mothers and fathers go out to work, there are ready made meals available in supermarkets, and going out to a pub for lunch or dinner is no big deal. This cookbook revives the old recipes of the past, the simple tastes of the home made meat pie or sausage roll, the wonderful pastries, cookies, slices and cakes that no modern restaurant or bakery can ever match. For those older readers who no longer cook for themselves, this book will help resurrect for your children or grandchildren what home cooking was all about. The true joys of cooking!