My top ten foods to try in New Zealand
What would you like to taste on your trip down under? New Zealanders enjoy a wide range of food – some good for you and some not so good! Many have their own gardens and eat healthy vegetables that they grow. Meat, cheese, seafood, pies, chips (fries), sweets and cafe food are a big part of the New Zealand (NZ) diet. Thai, Chinese and Indian cuisines are popular as well as NZ is a melting pot of cultures. Here’s my list of foods to try in New Zealand. Of course, my top food is anything that my Mum makes!
Made by my Mum!
1. Fish and Chips
You’ve got to get yourself some fish and chips (fries as you call them in the US). Get the fish battered and enjoy with tomato sauce. You can order from a restaurant menu but I recommend you get takeaways (takeout) and sit near or on the beach. You’ll find a fish and chip shop in every small town or city you visit! Potato cakes, battered hot dog and crumbled fish are other add-ons to try. Many Kiwis will take there fish and chips home and make a chip sandwich. Two pieces of buttered white bread with chips in the middle. Bloody awesome!
2. Marmite
This one’s a tough sell. It’s an acquired taste. Marmite (NZ) or Vegemite (Australia) are popular food spreads that we generally eat at breakfast time. It’s as simple as you see in the photo : toast, butter and marmite! What is it made from? Yeast extract, a by-product of beer brewing. Perhaps that’s why we love it so much. I am craving it as I write this. Nicola (my next Kiwi visitor), bring me some please!
3. The Kiwi Dip
One can of reduced cream (make sure it’s reduced cream), one packet of Maggi Onion Soup, a squeeze of lemon and mix together. Put in the refrigerator for a few hours and bring out and serve with my favorite – Bluebird Salt and Vinegar chippies. Delicious. Not many Kiwi parties, barbecues or rugby watching events will be missing this homemade dip.
4. Lamb
Beef, vension, veal, duck, lamb, chicken are all popular meats in NZ. Lamb of course is king. There are more sheep than people in NZ and we love our lamb. Roast lamb is how I grew up eating lamb. Lamb on the barbeque is popular too. We like to eat our lamb with mint sauce or jelly.
If you get the chance to try a traditional Māori Hāngī (meats and root vegetables cooked in pits in the ground for 3-4 hours) make sure to.
5. Pies
Who doesn’t love a good meat pie? Yes meat pie. No pumpkin, pecan or apple pie here. It’s a popular meal and generally served simply with tomato sauce. Steak, Mince, Venison, Lamb, Potato Top or more modern twists like Thai green curry chicken or butter chicken have made the pie a gourmet treat!
6. Seafood
Trout, Salmon, Oysters, Mussels, Paua, Crayfish (Lobster), Fish and Whitebait fritters are some of the delicacy’s to try.
New Zealand green lipped mussels are delicious and a lot bigger than the mussels you are used to trying. Wanting Oysters, it’s all about Bluff Oysters. Bold, mineral-y and uniquely New Zealand. Wondering what Whitebait are. It’s a small young fish caught in fresh water rivers. Kiwis cook them with flour and eggs to make a fritter. Served with salt and lemon juice.
Butterfish, snapper, cod or terakihi are my favorite types of fish. I grew up with fresh fish as Dad’s hobby (passion) was to go out fishing with his mates. I had no idea that all my life I had been eating Ceviche as Dad simply called it marinated fish.
You”ll find a lot of seafood options in NZ. Not surprising as nowhere in NZ will you be further than 170 km (105 miles) from the sea.
7. Lollies
The kiwis call their candy lollies! Minties, milk shakes and fruit bursts are some of my favorites. Go to the local dairy (like a deli or corner shop) and get your pick n mix of lollies to taste. Candy to kiwis means a hard boiled sweet, has nothing to do with chocolate and not what you think of Candy.
8. Dairy (Cheese and Ice Cream)
We love our cheese! Big blocks from the supermarket or fancy ones to put on a cheese platter. Kapiti cheeses is extremely popular throughout New Zealand with a wide range of flavors. Kikorangi, blue cheese, is legendary although the three flavors of triple cream cheese: cracked pepper, herb & garlic and chilli & garlic have to be sampled!
Ice cream and ice blocks are an afternoon treat kiwis will be eating, especially in summer. Generally it’s the corner dairy (deli) where you’ll pick up your ice cream on a cone. Two scoops please! Rum raisin flavor, chocolate chip mint or the New Zealand classic that you MUST try is Hokey Pokey ice cream. What is it? Plain vanilla ice cream with small, solid bits of toffee mixed throughout. You can buy a big tub of ice cream from the supermarket. Open a freezer at a kiwis home and you will find the tip top ice cream staring back at you.
9. Pavlova
The good news is, you now can go to a NZ supermarket and buy a Pavlova to decorate. It’s a tricky meringue-based cake dessert to make, as often the crust with turn into a crater and not be a nice even hard shell! The trick there is to hide all mistakes with lots and lots of whipped cream! It’s the soft light fluffy egg white inside with the crisp crust outside that makes this dessert so popular.
I personally like to decorate my Pavlova with Kiwifruit and Strawberries. Passionfruit, chocolate and other stunning arrangements like the photo below from my sister in law Elspeth can all be experimented with.
The Kiwis and Aussies argue over who created this dessert. It’s from downunder is my answer! The correct answer is the Kiwis did.
10. Flat White
We take coffee very seriously in New Zealand and maybe it’s not a food you chew but it’s a daily essential. The flat white, lattes, cappuccinos are very popular and what you will find kiwis ordering when they go to the local cafe. What makes the flat white unique is a layer of microfoam of steamed milk, and it has more coffee to milk ratio than a latte.
The drip coffee maker is not a common kitchen item. Paradoxically you will find kiwis making an instant coffee. All kiwis have a jug or kettle to boil water to add to the coffee crystals for a quick fix. My American friend Christina has kept her jug just for when I come to stay, and my other American friend Monica doesn’t have one at all. I don’t get not having a jug but hey that’s a Kiwi (and British) thing!
What have I missed? Other treats to look out for!
Manuka Honey (we love honey, check out the isle at the supermarket!), Lemon & Paeroa (L&P) soft drink, Lolly Cake or Mallow Roll, Southland Cheese rolls, Whittakers Chocolate (the Peanut Slab!) and the entire chocolate section (Crunchie Bar and Pineapple Lumps must go in your cart!), Vogels Mixed Grain bread, Sausage rolls, Fruit (Kiwifruit, Feijoas), baking from the local cafe (sweet or savory!) I love a savory or cheese scone slathered with NZ butter!
Taking a trip to the local supermarket will showcase all the different foods and brands. Be warned, food in NZ is not cheap. You will leave with less in your trolley than you would if shopping in the US. Saturday morning local markets are popular and places Kiwis will go to to buy produce, eggs, bread from local purveyors.
So much more to mention! The most obvious that I didn’t attempt is New Zealand wine and beer which technically isn’t a food. Too big of topic to write about in this blog post. If I know anything about you I know you won’t need me pushing you to try those essential delicacies!
Make sure to read my previous blogs on Visit New Zealand, How to Master the long flight to New Zealand and Visiting New Zealand in Winter, The North Island, Part 1 of 4 and Part 2 of 4, The Capital City.
Leave a comment below if you have a specific question on visiting New Zealand. You can connect with me on Instagram @kiwlizb