This week I finally got to cook some more familiar dishes; food from New Zealand is very similar to food from Australia. However, there are some differences and I tried to highlight them this week. I got some suggestions from Reddit which were very helpful. I also learned that the proper demonym for New Zealand is simply ‘New Zealand’, though as an Australian I have always used the term ‘Kiwi’ instead!
New Zealand is an island country in the Pacific Ocean, to the east of Australia. It includes two large islands—the North Island and the South Island—as well as over 700 smaller islands.
The islands were uninhabited for a long time, and were the last large habitable area to be settled by humans. Polynesians began settling the islands between around 1280 and 1350 and developed the distinctive Māori culture.
The first Europeans to discover New Zealand were the Dutch in 1642, though the British were the first to set foot on and map the country in 1769.
In 1840, the United Kingdom and Māori chiefs signed a treaty which resulted in the establishment of the Crown Colony of New Zealand the following year. A series of conflicts between the colonists and Māori tribes followed, as some of the Māori people wanted to set up their own alternative form of government which would have forbidden the selling of land to European settlers. The result was the confiscation of about 1,200,000 hectares of Māori land as a way to punish the Māori people.
New Zealand became independent in 1947, though kept the British monarch as their head of state. The majority of people in New Zealand today are of European descent, though Māori culture is still evident.
New Zealand is a highly developed country and was the first to introduce a minimum wage and to give women the right to vote. It ranks highly when it comes to quality of life and human rights, and has one of the lowest levels of corruption in the world
What Do People Eat in New Zealand?
Traditional New Zealand cuisine consists of Māori dishes that made use of local ingredients and those brought over from Polynesia centuries ago. Root vegetables such as kumara (sweet potato), purple yams, and taro were found to grow well, and an abundance of seafood was available, including crayfish, abalone, and oysters.
Māori people cooked food in earth ovens known as hangi, which is also the name given to food cooked in this way. The food is packed in leaves and placed on stones, which are heated by fire. Everything is then covered by foliage, cloth, or wet sacks, followed by a layer of earth.
The Māori people found many ways to preserve food, such as by smoke and fermentation. However, they are one of the few people who did not develop any form of alcoholic beverage.
Today, Māori cuisine can still be found, but there are also many dishes that developed due to European influence. Some popular ingredients brought over by Europeans include potatoes, pork, and mutton. I find the latter interesting since now, New Zealand is known for its sheep production.
What I Made
- Bacon and Egg Pie
- Southland Cheese Rolls
- Boil Up (Pork and Root Vegetable Soup with Dumplings)
- Fish and Chips
Scroll down to read about other popular New Zealand dishes I didn’t make!
Bacon and Egg Pie
Savory pies are popular in New Zealand, including meat pies like those found in Australia. However, egg and bacon pie is a little more unique and since that’s also common in New Zealand, that’s what I decided to make. I made two single-serve pies instead of one big pie and halved the recipe.
These pies were easy to make. I chopped and pan-fried some bacon and onion. Then I whisked together some eggs, saving one yolk for brushing the pastry. I whisked in cream, then added parsley and the cooked bacon and onion.
I lined small ramekins with puff pastry and poured in the egg mixture, then covered it with more pastry. I brushed the top with beaten egg yolk and baked the pies until they were golden.
I thought these tasted amazing! I’d definitely make them again. I might bake a little longer next time though since I think the pastry could have done with more time.
The recipe I used is from Food.com; the only change I made aside from decreasing the recipe was to sauté the onion since I don’t generally like the taste when it goes into something like this raw.
Southland Cheese Rolls
These cheese rolls come from the Southland region of New Zealand and are also sometimes referred to as ‘Southland sushi’. They consist of a piece of white bread rolled around a mixture of evaporated milk, onion soup mix, and cheese.
To make these, I started by cooking some finely chopped onion and garlic (these are optional ingredients). Once they were soft, I added evaporated milk, French onion soup mix, and grated cheddar cheese. I stirred until the cheese had melted and the mixture had thickened a bit, then let it cool a little.
I spread slices of white bread with the mixture, then rolled them up and put them in a baking dish. I brushed them with melted butter and baked for 5 minutes or so.
I used homemade bread for this, and I think the slices were a little small as I’d used my smaller loaf tin. So the rolls weren’t quite perfect, but that did not affect the flavor. I really liked these, much more than I thought I would!
The recipe I used here is from Mainland’s website (Mainland is a New Zealand company that makes cheese and butter).
Boil Up (Pork and Root Vegetable Soup with Dumplings)
This is a dish with Māori origins, made with root vegetables and pork bones. It also includes dumplings, referred to as ‘doughboys’.
I had planned on buying ham hocks for this but the supermarket didn’t have any, even though they usually do. Instead, I used chopped ham and bacon.
I started by sautéing the bacon, then removed it from the pot and added water, potato, sweet potato, and carrot. Once the vegetables were nearly cooked through, I added the ham and some shredded cabbage and returned the bacon to the pot. I also added the dumplings, which I made from flour, salt, baking powder, and water. I covered the pot and let everything cook until the dumplings were cooked through.
This was quite good but the dumplings were pretty dense; I’m not really sure why since I only bought this baking powder a few weeks ago.
The recipe I used is from Edmonds Cooking.
Fish and Chips
I’ve had my eye on a beer-battered fish and chips recipe for a while but was waiting for a good opportunity to try it. I decided this week was the time, because although fish and chips is popular in many countries and almost certainly did not originate in New Zealand, it is very popular there. Some people may refer to it as ‘fush and chups’ because that’s kind of how it sounds when said with a New Zealand accent!
I cheated and used frozen fries which I baked in the oven so that I could focus on the fish. I used pieces of cod which I first patted dry, then seasoned with salt and pepper. I dipped them in rice flour, then in the batter, made by whisking together rice flour, regular all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, and cold beer. I deep-fried the fish pieces until golden and sprinkled them with salt once done.
I was pretty pleased with how this turned out, especially since it was my first attempt. I could probably have cooked the fish pieces longer to get the batter more golden, but I was worried about over-cooking the fish. The batter was still very crisp, I think owing to the rice flour.
I served the fish with the oven fries and some tartar sauce. A lemon wedge would also be common here.
This recipe is from RecipeTin Eats; I’ll probably make it again since it was very good, but not too frequently for health reasons!
Other Popular New Zealand Dishes
- Lolly cake – a dish made from condensed milk, malt biscuits (cookies in the US), coconut, butter, and crushed sweets. This is a no-bake dessert; the ingredients are mixed together and formed into a log, then refrigerated and sliced when firm.
- Whitebait fritters – whitebait are tiny fish that are consumed whole and enjoyed in many ways. One way is in the form of fritters; the fish are combined with eggs and a little flour and fried.
- Rewena bread – a type of Māori sourdough bread made from a fermented potato or kumara starter.
Final Thoughts
This was a great week! The fish and chips was my favorite dish but I also really liked the cheese mixture I made for the Southland rolls.
Next week, I will be cooking food from Nicaragua.
I lived in New Zealand for 39 years. Loved the food.