Australia has absorbed culinary contributions and adaptations from various cultures around the world, including British, European, Asian and Middle Eastern.

The Australian gold rushes introduced more varied immigrants and cuisines, mainly Chinese, whilst post-war immigration programs led to a large-scale diversification of local food, mainly due to the influence of migrants from the Mediterranean, East Asia and South Asia.

[1] Australian cuisine in the 21st century reflects the influence of globalisation, with many fast-food restaurants and international trends becoming influential.

[2] Australia exports many agricultural products, including cattle, sheep, poultry, milk, vegetables, fruit, nuts, wheat, barley and canola.

Restaurants which include contemporary adaptations, interpretations or fusions of exotic influences are frequently termed Modern Australian.

[7] Hunting of kangaroo, wallaby and emu was common,[8] with other foods widely consumed including bogong moths, witchetty grubs, lizards and snakes.

[1] Fish were caught using tools such as spears, hooks and traps; in some areas, the construction of complex weir systems allowed the development of forms of aquaculture.

[15] The diet consisted of "bread, salted meat and tea with lashings of rum (initially from the West Indies but later made from the waste cane of the sugar industry in Queensland).

"[16] The British found familiar game in Australia including swan, goose, pigeon and fish, but the new settlers often had difficulty adjusting to the prospect of native fauna as a staple diet.

[21][22] After World War II, subsequent waves of multicultural immigration, with a majority drawn from Asia and the Mediterranean region, and the strong, sophisticated food cultures these ethnic communities have brought with them influenced the development of Australian cuisine.

1982), which offered Mediterranean dishes with Asian and Middle Eastern influences and "showed Sydney [...] that food can be adventurous without being expensive".

[29] These usually fall under the category of bush tucker, which is used in some restaurants and in commercial preserves and pickles but not generally well known among Australians due to its low availability.

[31] Fruits cultivated and consumed in Australia include apples, banana, kiwifruit, oranges and other citrus, mangoes (seasonally), mandarin, stonefruit, avocado, watermelons, rockmelons, lychees, pears, nectarines, plums, apricots, grapes, melons, papaya (also called pawpaw), pineapple, passionfruit and berries (strawberries, raspberries, etc.).

Spring vegetables include artichoke, asparagus, bean shoots, beetroot, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, cucumber, leek, lettuce, mushrooms, peas, rhubarb, and spinach; summer vegetables include capsicum, cucumber, eggplant, squash, tomato, and zucchini.

In colonial-era recipes, kangaroo was treated much like ox tail, and braised until tender forming a rich gravy.

[44] While inland river and lake systems are relatively sparse, they nevertheless provide freshwater game fish and crustacea suitable for dining.

[45] Approximately 600 varieties of marine and freshwater seafood species are caught and sold in Australia for both local and overseas consumption.

[46] Today, the Australian dairy industry produces a wide variety of milk, cream, butter, cheese and yoghurt products.

[48][49] Since the 19th century, billy tea was a staple drink for those out in the Australian bush, such as those working on the land or travelling overland.

[52] In 1952, the first espresso machines began to appear in Australia and a plethora of fine Italian coffee houses were emerging in Melbourne and Sydney.

One reason for this is that unlike with the United States and Asia, Australia for many decades had already had an established culture of independent cafés before coffee chains tried to enter the market.

[54] The chocolate and malt powder Milo, which was developed by Thomas Mayne in Sydney in 1934 in response to the Great Depression, is mixed with cold or hot milk to produce a popular beverage.

In recent years, Milo has been exported and is also commonly consumed in Southeast Asia even becoming a major ingredient in some desserts produced in the region.

However, Fosters is not a large seller on the local market, with alternatives such as Victoria Bitter and Carlton Draught outselling the popular export.

[63] Chiko Rolls, dim sims and other foods needing to be deep-fried are to be found at fish and chip shops, which have the necessary deep fryers in which to cook them.

Australian hamburgers consist of a fried beef patty, served with shredded lettuce and sliced tomato in a (usually toasted) round bread roll or bun.

[67] Similar stalls are held in the car parks of most Bunnings hardware stores on weekends, by volunteers fund-raising for service clubs, charities, societies or sporting groups.

[72][73] A common children's treat dating back to the 1920s is fairy bread,[74] appearing around the same time as the Boston bun.

The state has its own iconic brands such as Farmers Union Iced Coffee, YoYo biscuits and Balfours frog cakes.

Major native foods of the Brisbane region and commonly used in local cuisine include the macadamia, lemon-scented myrtle, Australian finger lime, bunya nut, and Moreton Bay bug.