1,000 Foods To Eat Before You Die: A Food Lover's Life List (228 page)

Fresh tiger prawns in their native Queensland.

With so many of these large, sumptuously meaty crustaceans shipped off for export, it may be easier to spot their yellow-striped gray shells in Japan, Hong Kong, Southeast Asia, and the U.S. than in their native Australia. Wherever it is that they are enjoyed, though, the large tails of
Penaeus esculentus
are where the good eating lies. Whether grilled or steamed, they are almost always cooked in the shell to protect the delicate meat they contain and keep it succulently tender.

A particular favorite around the South Pacific, tiger prawns make appearances in foods as diverse as spicy Southeast Asian barbecues, Indian curries, and Japanese tempura and sushi dishes (see listings
here
and
here
), as well as in Chinese black-bean-and-ginger stir-fries. In the spirit of globalization, they also adapt to Italian scampi recipes (see
listing
), and their raw meat is firm enough to be treated American crab-cake-style, removed from the shell and chopped and mixed with egg and seasonings for fried croquettes.

As delectable as those fairly complex preparations can be, the prawn’s subtle essence is best perceived in the simple prawn cocktail that’s a popular standard in upscale seafood restaurants of Australia. Skip the cocktail sauce and instead use just a drizzle of lemon juice as a dressing, if you must.

Where:
In Sydney
, Sydney Fish Market, tel 61/2-9004-1100,
sydneyfishmarket.com.au
; Doyles on the Beach, tel 61/2-9337-2007,
doyles.com.au
;
in Cairns, Australia
, Ochre Restaurant, tel 64/7-4051-0100,
ochrerestaurant.com.au
;
in Vancouver
, Moose’s Down Under Bar and Grill, tel 604-683-3300,
moosesdownunder.com
.
Mail order:
Seattle Fish Company, tel 303-329-9595,
seattlefish.com
; Sea-Ex,
sea-ex.com
.
Further information and recipes:
A Multitude of Fishes
by Ann Creber (1987);
Australian Greats
by Jo Franks (2012);
Australia the Beautiful Cookbook
by Elise Pascoe (1995);
sbs.com.au/food
(search salt and pepper tiger prawns);
cookstr.com
(search tiger shrimp and onions);
australianprawns.com.au
(search tiger prawns).

The only foods that can prepare a novice palate for Vegemite, Australia’s favorite relish and spread, are rotted anchovies, English Marmite, or Gentleman’s Relish, all of which are yeasty, fetid, dense brown pastes said to build strength and overall well-being, to say nothing of character. Given its acrid stench and gluey texture, one might wonder why Vegemite should be tasted at all—even if does live up to its touted health benefits. The reason should be obvious to those who take their eating seriously, for this is one of the world’s most iconic and memorable national flavors and so deserves understanding.

Now owned by Kraft, Vegemite was created in Australia in 1922 by an entrepreneur named Fred Walker and a chemist named Dr. Cyril Callister. Despite the stinky overtones of the caramelized all-vegetable mix, Australian children cry for it as American tots do for peanut butter and jelly. Their parents spread it on buttered toast or bread as a snack or a sandwich, or on biscuits as a special treat at teatime. Vegemite has recently become a featured menu item at Melbourne-style cafés now opening around the U.S. It’s even said to be habit-forming.

Brewer’s yeast, a by-product of beer brewing in this suds-happy land, is the ingredient that adds a generous belt of Vitamin B and provides the product’s defining flavor as well as its seriously pungent aroma. As one drives toward the Melbourne factory, its smell begins to fill the air from some twenty minutes away.

New Zealanders are said to prefer the slightly sweeter English Marmite, so for the sake of experience, try both.

Where:
In New York
, Little Collins, tel 212-308-1969,
littlecollinsnyc.com
;
in Seattle
, Kangaroo and Kiwi, tel 206-297-0507,
kangarooandkiwi.com
.
Mail order:
World Market, tel 877-967-5362,
worldmarket.com
; iGourmet, tel 877-446-8763,
igourmet.com
.
Further information and recipes:
Cooking the Australian Way
by Elizabeth Germaine (2013);
thekitchn.com
(search 7 recipes with marmite);
grubstreet.com
(search harness the putrid power of vegemite);
vegemite.com.au
.
See also:
Gentleman’s Relish
.

Produced by the sunny yellow–blossomed Australian acacia tree—a type that includes more than a hundred species—the wattleseed (aka acacia seed) should primarily be valued for its savory, rich flavor, a sort of gianduja-plus that
combines hints of chocolate, coffee, and hazelnuts. But its health properties are inevitably taken into account, as that rich taste comes from a high-fiber, protein-filled seed whose low glycemic index is a boon to diabetics. Roasted and crushed to a powder suggestive of coffee grounds or cocoa powder, wattleseeds are frequently added as a seasoning to cakes, breads, ice creams, pastries, and other desserts. These days some inventive chefs work them into sauces for meats and poultry as well, for a bit of crunch in addition to flavor.

Until fairly recently, they were known mostly to aborigines in the dry outback regions of Australia. There, they are still among the many intriguing spices and edibles that make up what is known as “bush tucker,” the Australian slang for food made from ingredients procured from the wilderness. In 1984, Vic Cherikoff, an experimental chef doing research on bush tucker, began to study wattleseeds and their culinary possibilities, thereby taking the first step toward making them a widespread seasoning.

Other bush tucker specialties include native seasonings such as the spicy Tasmanian pepperleaf, aromatic lemon myrtle leaves, and pungent red quandong berries, in addition to a number of wild birds, insects, and animals like the wallaby and the kangaroo (see
listing
), and the bread known as damper (see
listing
). Having taken a fashionable turn as of late, bush tucker is being reconceived as restaurant fare on Australian menus both at home and abroad.

Where:
In Cairns, Australia
, Ochre Restaurant, tel 64/7-4051-0100,
ochrerestaurant.com.au
.
Mail order:
The Spicery,
thespicery.com
(search wattleseed).
Further information and recipes:
starchefs.com
(search wattleseed);
foodnetwork.com
(search wattleseed ice cream).

How this crunchy chocolate cookie got its name remains a mystery, but its nicely sandy texture and rich cocoa flavor obviate the need for a backstory. Whether Afghans were initially made by Afghani immigrants or, as some say, named for their resemblance to the rocky mountains of Afghanistan, they’re just right for tea and coffee, or with glasses of cold milk for the kids. Equally popular in Australia and New Zealand, Afghans also have a special place on the dessert table during the Christmas holidays.

Improbably enough, the crunch in these cookies comes from the addition of crushed cornflakes, which are folded into the dough along with generous amounts of cocoa and vanilla. Once baked and cooled, the thick, round cookie (or biscuit, as it is known on native ground) is further enhanced by a thin wash of dark chocolate icing and a single toasted walnut half.

Where:
In Wellington, New Zealand
, Logan Brown, tel 64/480-151-14,
loganbrown.co.nz
;
in New York
, The Musket Room, tel 212-219-0764,
musketroom.com
;
in Montreal
, Ta Pies, tel 514-277-7437,
ta-pies.com
.
Mail order:
sanza.co.uk
(search afghan biscuits).
Further information and recipes:
The Down Under Cookbook
by Graeme Newman (1987);
The Australian Blue Ribbon Cookbook
by Liz Harfull (2014);
kiwibaking.com
(search afghan biscuits);
saveur.com
(search afghans).

Meat from fully raised sheep was once commonly used in the dish.

The British settlers who arrived in New Zealand in the early nineteenth century created an inimitable dish that has come to be known as “colonial goose”: a boned leg of mutton stuffed and roasted to imitate the much-missed English goose at Christmas. Both New Zealand and Australia now claim the so-called goose as one of their national dishes, although it’s becoming more and more difficult to find. When you do run across it, it is likely to be made with the delicate Australian and New Zealand lamb we love to import, and is a far cry from the way the dish used to taste in the days when lambs were allowed to grow into sheep. Fully raised sheep, by the way, provided meatier, fattier meat for the table, and made the animals more profitable for ranchers.

Serves 8 to 10

Necessary equipment: Skewers, or kitchen string, and a trussing needle

½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted, or ½ cup light vegetable oil or rendered lamb fat

1 small onion, grated

⅔ cup fresh white bread crumbs

1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten

3 tablespoons finely minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves, or ½ teaspoon crushed dried thyme leaves (see
Variations
)

Grated zest of 1 lemon

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 leg of lamb, or 1 half-leg of mutton (6 to 7 pounds; see
Note
)

1.
Preheat the oven to 425°F.

2.
Heat ¼ cup of the butter, oil, or fat in a small skillet over very low heat and stir in the onion. Cook the onion until it loses its raw smell, about 1 minute. Stir in the bread crumbs and cook slowly, stirring, until the bread crumbs turn light golden, 3 to 4 minutes.

3.
Remove the skillet from the heat and mix in the egg, parsley, thyme, lemon zest, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Let the stuffing cool.

4.
Rub salt and pepper inside the pocket in the leg. Spoon the cooled stuffing into the pocket in the meat. Close the pocket tightly, either by fastening it with skewers or by sewing it shut using kitchen string and a trussing needle. Brush the top of the meat with the remaining ¼ cup of butter, oil, or rendered fat, and sprinkle it with salt and pepper.

5.
Set the leg on a rack in a large roasting pan and insert a meat thermometer halfway into the thickest part of the leg, but not touching the bone. Roast the meat until the membrane on top of the roast begins to stiffen and turn golden, about 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350°F and continue roasting the leg, basting it with the drippings about every 15 minutes, until the meat thermometer registers 135°F for rare or 145°F for medium, about 1 hour. If you like your meat more well done than that, do not make this dish; longer cooking will render the meat and the stuffing dry and tasteless.

6.
Transfer the leg to a cutting board, place it in a warm spot in the kitchen, and let it rest for 15 minutes before carving.

Note:
Have a butcher bone the leg of lamb or mutton, leaving only the shank bone intact. This will form a large pocket in the leg. The top membrane, the fell, should not be trimmed off the lamb.

Variations:
If you prefer the taste of sage, substitute 3 minced fresh sage leaves or ½ teaspoon powdered dried sage for the thyme.

In New Zealand, 1 tablespoon of honey is sometimes stirred into the cooked bread crumb mixture, along with about ½ cup finely chopped dried apricots. If you like garlic, feel free to add a finely minced, medium-size clove to the cooked bread crumb mixture; by the same token, you might throw in ⅓ cup chopped macadamia or pistachio nuts. Such additions are delicious if not authentic.

Further information and recipes:
Cooking the Australian Way
by Elizabeth Germaine (2013);
foodnetwork.com
(search colonial goose);
bite.co.nz
(search colonial goose).