Introduction

Australian cuisine transcends the familiar narratives. Aboriginal traditions do not define it, nor did it begin in 1788 when Captain Arthur Phillip forced enslaved convicts, including children as young as nine, to cultivate celery, parsley, and wheat. Nor did it emerge in 1810, when Governor Macquarie compelled newly embarked, exhausted, often ill and pregnant women to landscape the grounds around his wife's sandstone bench on a Sydney Harbour peninsula. 

The actual birth of Australian vegan cuisine is a sensory odyssey woven by global adventurers who crossed treacherous oceans and jolted across rugged frontiers in horse-drawn carts, chasing fortune and a new beginning in an unforgiving land. 

Imported livestock often perished on the journey or swiftly succumbed to the rough, unfamiliar habitat and lack of fodder, leaving settlers with scarce meat and dairy. In this land of droughts, searing heat, and torrential rains, men laboured in mines while women rolled up their sleeves—literally and figuratively. These heroines foraged along billabongs, dug wells, and nurtured seeds from their distant homelands. They hand-built homes from rock, wattle, and daub, cooked in communal makeshift kitchens combining the cuisine of different cultures, and taught themselves to preserve fruits, dry vegetables, and craft wine to endure the harsh, dry seasons. 

Today, Australian vegan fare honours this past while embracing a dazzling diversity of global flavours. It is a testament to love for family, community, oneself, animals, and the planet.

Bon appétit, Guten Appetit, Buon appetito, Smacznego, Kali orexi, Bom apetite, Dobrou chuť, Velbekomme, Afiyet olsun, Meshiagare, Buen provecho, Приятного аппетита (Prijatnogo appetita), Smaklig måltid, 请慢用 (Qǐng màn yòng).

"Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you who you are" - Thought to have originated in 1826 by Anthelme Brillat-Savarin-French politician.

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