Editing Culture of Australia (section)

==Cuisine==
{{Main|Australian cuisine}}
[[File:Australian bush tucker, Alice Springs.jpg|thumb|[[Bush tucker]] harvested in [[Alice Springs]]]]
Contemporary Australian cuisine combines British and Indigenous origins with Mediterranean and Asian influences. Australia's abundant natural resources allow access to a large variety of quality meats, and to barbecue beef or lamb in the open air is considered a cherished national tradition. The great majority of Australians live close to the sea and Australian seafood restaurants have been listed among the world's best.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theworlds50best.com/module/acms_winners?group_id=1 |title=The Top 50 Best Restaurants 1–50 &#124; The World's 50 Best Restaurants |publisher=Theworlds50best.com |date=15 February 2010 |access-date=29 January 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100113043907/http://www.theworlds50best.com/module/acms_winners?group_id=1 |archive-date=13 January 2010 }}</ref>

[[Bush tucker]] refers to a wide variety of plant and animal foods native to the Australian bush: bush fruits such as [[kakadu plum]]s, [[finger lime]]s and [[desert quandong]]s; [[fish]] and [[shellfish]] of Australia's saltwater river systems; and bush meats including [[emu]], [[crocodile]] and [[kangaroo meat|kangaroo]]. Many of these are still seasonally hunted and gathered by Indigenous Australians, and are undergoing a renaissance of interest on contemporary Australian menus.<ref>White, Janelle. "Bush Tucker: Australian Native Foods". In Vaisutis, Justine. ''Australia 15''. Lonely Planet, 2009. {{ISBN|1-74179-160-X}}, p. 67</ref> The [[macadamia nut]] is the most famous bushfood plant harvested and sold in large quantities.

[[File:Sheep eating grass edit02.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Sheep grazing in rural Australia. Early British settlers introduced Western stock and crops and [[Australian agriculture]] now produces an abundance of fresh produce.]]
Early British settlers brought familiar meats and crops with them from Europe and these remain important in the Australian diet. The British settlers found some familiar game – such as [[swan]], [[goose]], [[pigeon]], and fish – but the new settlers often had difficulty adjusting to the prospect of [[Australian fauna|native fauna]] as a staple diet.<ref name="culture.gov.au"/> They established agricultural industries producing more familiar Western style produce. Queensland and New South Wales became Australia's main [[beef cattle]] producers, while [[dairy cattle]] farming is found in the southern states, predominantly in Victoria. Wheat and other grain crops are spread fairly evenly throughout the mainland states. [[Sugar cane]] is also a major crop in Queensland and New South Wales. Fruit and vegetables are grown throughout Australia.<ref>[http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/articles/farms/ Australian farms and farming communities – australia.gov.au] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110408181402/http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/articles/farms/ |date=8 April 2011 }}</ref> "[[Meat and three veg]]", [[fish and chips]], and the [[Australian meat pie]] continue to represent traditional meals for many Australians. The post-World War II multicultural immigration program brought new flavours and influences, with waves of immigrants from Greece, Italy, Thailand, Vietnam, China, and elsewhere bringing about diversification and of the typical diet consumed–leading to an increasingly gastronomical culinary scene.<ref>{{Cite web |title=A (brief) history of Australian food |url=https://www.sbs.com.au/food/article/a-brief-history-of-australian-food/2w85bcokq |access-date=2024-08-22 |website=SBS Food |language=en}}</ref>

Australia's {{convert|11|e6km2|e6mi2|abbr=off|adj=on}} fishing zone is the third largest in the world and allows for easy access to seafood which significantly influences Australian cuisine. Clean ocean environments produce high quality seafoods. [[Lobster]], [[prawns]], [[tuna]], [[salmon]] and [[abalone]] are the main ocean species harvested commercially, while [[aquaculture]] produces more than 60 species for consumption, including [[oysters]], salmonoids, [[southern bluefin tuna]], [[mussels]], prawns, [[barramundi]], [[yellowtail kingfish]], and [[Freshwater fish of Australia|freshwater finifish]].<ref>[http://dfat.gov.au/facts/seafoodindustry.html About Australia: The Australian seafood industry] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120206144048/http://dfat.gov.au/facts/seafoodindustry.html |date=6 February 2012 }}</ref> While inland river and lake systems are relatively sparse, they nevertheless provide some unique fresh water game fish and crustacea suitable for dining. Fishing and aquaculture constitute Australia's fifth most valuable agricultural industry after [[wool]], [[beef]], [[wheat]] and [[dairy]].<ref>[http://www.daff.gov.au/fisheries Fisheries Home – DAFF] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110925025706/http://www.daff.gov.au/fisheries |date=25 September 2011 }}</ref>

[[Vegemite]] is a well-known spread originating from Australia. Iconic Australian desserts include [[Pavlova (food)|pavlova]] and [[lamingtons]].<ref>[http://abc.net.au/gnt/history/Transcripts/s1188249.htm "Pavlova"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100416134604/http://www.abc.net.au/gnt/history/Transcripts/s1188249.htm |date=16 April 2010 }}. Australian Broadcasting Corporation</ref> [[ANZAC biscuits]] recall the diet of Australia's [[World War I]] soldiers at the [[Battle of Gallipoli]].

===Beverages===
{{main|Alcohol in Australia}}
[[File:Billycan-campfire.jpg|thumb|right|A [[billycan]] used for heating water]]
Australia's reputation as a nation of heavy drinkers goes back to the earliest days of colonial Sydney, when [[rum]] was used as currency and grain shortages followed the installation of the first [[still]]s.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-08-14 |title='Selling your wife for rum': The messy history of alcohol and binge drinking in Australia |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-15/do-australians-have-problem-with-alcohol-edmund-barton-bob-hawke/101288620 |access-date=2024-08-16 |work=ABC News |language=en-AU}}</ref> [[James Squire]]s is considered to have founded Australia's first commercial brewery in 1798 and the [[Cascade Brewery]] in Hobart has been operating since 1832. Since the 1970s, Australian beers have become increasingly popular globally, with [[Foster's Lager]] being an iconic export. Foster's is not however the biggest seller on the local market, with alternatives including [[Carlton Draught]] and [[Victoria Bitter]] outselling it.

[[Billycan|Billy tea]] was a staple drink of the Australian colonial period, considered to be a symbol of the bush lifestyle.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Billy |url=https://www.nma.gov.au/exhibitions/defining-symbols-australia/billy |access-date=27 August 2024 |website=National Museum of Australia |language=en}}</ref> It is typically boiled over a camp fire on a billy can, with a gum or lemon myrtle leaf added for flavouring.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Billy tea |url=https://www.sbs.com.au/food/recipe/billy-tea/4jay9jfm4 |access-date=27 August 2024 |website=SBS Food |language=en}}</ref>

The [[Australian wine]] industry is one of the largest exporters of wine in the world, contributing $2.2 billion to the nation's economy in 2023–24.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Australian wine export report |url=https://www.wineaustralia.com/market-insights/export-report |access-date=27 August 2024 |website=www.wineaustralia.com}}</ref> Wine is produced in every state, however, wine regions are mainly in the southern, cooler regions. Among the most famous wine districts are the [[Hunter Valley]] and [[Barossa Valley]] and among the best known wine producers are [[Penfolds]], [[Rosemount (wine)|Rosemount Estate]], [[Wynns Coonawarra Estate]] and [[Lindemans (wine)|Lindemans]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/articles/wine/ |title=Australia's wine industry – Australia's Culture Portal |publisher=Cultureandrecreation.gov.au |access-date=29 January 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110217023344/http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/articles/wine/ |archive-date=17 February 2011}}</ref> The Australian [[Penfolds Grange]] was the first wine from outside France or California to win the ''[[Wine Spectator]]'' award for Wine of the Year in 1995.<ref>{{cite book|title=Spinning the bottle: case studies in wine public relations|first=Harvey|last= Posert|author2=Paul Franson|publisher=HPPR Press|year=2004|isbn=978-0-9747566-0-8|page=182}}</ref>