The Aussie Eats I Fell in Love With (Before the Foodie Craze Took Over)

From sausage sizzles to sneaky Tim Tam downs, here’s what real Aussie snacking looked like before foodie trends took over.

You know what I miss? Simpler times. When a few coins in your pocket could get you hot, crispy potato cakes from the local shop and dessert was something made with sprinkles, not chia seeds.

Australia has gone gourmet these days—and don’t get me wrong, I love a bougie brunch but let’s give credit to the foods that shaped Aussie snacking before sushi, pastel de nata, and ten-dollar cupcakes took over.

The Savoury Legends

1. Sausage Sizzle (aka the Bunnings Rite of Passage)
You haven’t really lived in Australia until you’ve grabbed a snag on bread outside Bunnings. It’s smoky, messy, ridiculously good, and usually raising funds for a local club. Tomato sauce, grilled onions, perfection. Bonus points if it’s eaten standing up in the car park.

2. Potato Cakes (Not Scallops, Sorry NSW!)
Thin, battered slices of deep-fried heaven. The kind of after-school snack you’d pick up near the train station- 3 for 20 cents if you were lucky. Salty, greasy, and soul-satisfying.

3. Sausage Rolls and Meat Pies
Forget fancy fillings. Just give me a servo pie with lava-hot mystery meat and a sausage roll puffed up to the heavens, drowned in tomato sauce. Comfort food in a brown paper bag.

4. Fish & Chips by the Beach
It’s not just a meal, it’s a moment. Paper-wrapped flake, salty chips with chicken salt, maybe a dim sim on the side, and a constant battle with seagulls. Mandatory beachside dining.

5. The Lot Burger (with Beetroot, Obviously)
This isn’t your basic burger. We’re talking egg, bacon for some, pineapple, and yep- beetroot. It’s messy, oversized, and glorious. You’ll need two hands, a serviette stash, and a solid appetite.

6. Chiko Rolls
What is in a Chiko Roll? No one really knows, and no one really cares. A crunchy tube of beef-ish filling, cabbage, and deep-fried mystery. Built to be eaten at the footy with one hand and sauce in the other.

The Sweet Icons

7. Lamington
Sponge cake covered in chocolate and rolled in coconut. A school fete staple and a national treasure. Don’t mess with it. Don’t deconstruct it. Just eat it.

8. Fairy Bread at Every Birthday Party
White bread, butter, and rainbow sprinkles. It’s simple, it’s nostalgic, and it still slaps. No fancy cake ever topped it at a kid’s party.

9. Tim Tams
The gold standard of Aussie biscuits. One bite turns into the whole pack. Also- Arnotts, why are there only 9 in the pack now?! That used to be a full dozen or 11? We notice.

10. ANZAC Biscuits
Oaty, chewy, golden perfection. Whether you like them crunchy or soft, ANZAC bikkies have history and heart. They taste even better with a cuppa and a good story.

11. Hot Cross Buns (At Easter. Only.)
There was a time when these were a sacred Easter-only treat. Now they show up on shelves in December. Look, I love them… but let them be special again, yeah?

12. Golden Gaytime
Still iconic. Toffee, vanilla, biscuit crumbs, and a cheeky name that no Aussie blinks at. It’s been around for decades and still wins the ice cream wars, hands down.

These bites aren’t just food- they’re little Aussie time capsules. Some may be fading, others are still kicking strong, but all of them deserve a spot in our hearts (and tummies). Whether you moved here like me or grew up with this stuff, one thing’s for sure: these Aussie treats will never go out of style.