It's interesting to note that Australian cooks have always been creative and willing to experiment with their food. It seems they have always been good cooks and besides always loving to eat, there seems to be a rich history of those who were willing to write about food. That's where this collection really does come into its own, with snippets from works of fiction, journalism, books of etiquette, letters, diaries and travel accounts. A view through the ages of Australian gastro-culture and it's influences from taking what is local and available to following the fashions of Europe and the British Isles only to return to putting their own stamp on the gastronomic passport. It's an interesting read, and I only wished it had more input from other arenas to round out the prose selections.
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