Who has the rightful claim to pavlova: New Zealand or Australia? While we may never reach a full consensus on that, we’ve got lots more gastronomic goodies to shout about here. Being an island nation, New Zealand is blessed with fresh seafood; we’re also keen sheep and dairy farmers, with our beef and lamb exported all over the world.
Seafood
Where to start? If you’re a fan of oysters, Bluff oysters are up there among the world’s best. If you’re around in May, head along to the Bluff Oyster and Food Festival. Otherwise, good restaurants all around New Zealand serve them.
Marlborough’s green-lipped mussels are also internationally recognised, and are best washed down with a glass of local sauvignon blanc.
Scallops are found all through New Zealand – they’ve even got their own annual event; check out the Whitianga Scallop Festival in September.
Whitebait (small, tender freshwater fish) is another, affordable local delicacy; you’ll find fresh whitebait fritters at market stalls around the country.
Hāngi
Hāngi refers to a traditional Māori method of cooking, which involves digging a pit in the ground and heating stones inside the pit using fire. Baskets of food are placed on top of the rocks and then it’s all covered in earth and left for hours to cook. Both meat and vegetables can be cooked this way.
Keen to give it a go? You might get lucky and find hāngi being sold from the side of a road in summer; otherwise you can try this local feast as part of a cultural experience in a town like Rotorua.
Meat Pies
Pies in America usually mean a sweet, fruity pastry. Here the default is a sturdy meat pie – mince and cheese or steak and cheese are the norm. They’re sold fresh at bakeries, in cafes, and takeaway shops. Squeeze on some Wattie’s tomato sauce for the full taste experience.
Fish and Chips
Available basically everywhere in New Zealand, a humble meal of fish and chips is best enjoyed on the beach. Snapper, hoki and terakihi are the most commonly used types of fish – they’re then battered (or crumbed) and fried.
Here, we eat fish and chips with tomato sauce or tartare, rather than malt vinegar. And we love our chips – Kiwis get through about seven million servings of chips every week.
Hokey Pokey
Hokey pokey is the quintessential Kiwi ice cream flavour! You’ll find it’s made by mainstream manufacturers like Tip Top as well as by artisan brands such as Kapiti, Deep South and Rush Munro’s. Sweet yet astonishingly simple, it consists of creamy vanilla ice cream dotted with little balls of honeycomb toffee.
Featured image by itravelNZ
