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Food and Australian Cuisine

International Influences

Learning Module

Abstract

This Learning Module focuses on the development of Australian food habits over time and the impact of this on Australian culture, particularly food today. Activities directly link the issues of nutrition, health, technology, and food, requiring students to consider the impact of one on the other. Students explore food from around the world, prepare and present a wide variety of foods, and further develop their culinary skills.

Keywords

Cuisine, International, Diversity, Australia, Bush Tucker, Aboriginal, European, American, Asian, African, Culinary Skills, History, Culture.

Knowledge Objectives

As a result of completing this Learning Module, students will be able to:

Food Specializations

Analyse how characteristics and properties of food determine preparation techniques and presentation when designing solutions for healthy eating (ACTDEK033)

Design and Technologies Processes and Production skills 

Effectively and safely use a broad range of materials, components, tools, equipment and techniques to make designed solutions (ACTDEP037)

General Capabilities

  • Literacy
  • Numeracy
  • Information and communication technology (ICT) capability
  • Critical and creative thinking
  • Personal and social capability
  • Intercultural understanding

Cross Curriculum Priorities

  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures
  • Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia

1. What is Australian Cuisine

For the Student

Learning Intention: To explore your prior knowledge about Australian Cuisine.

Record a list of 10 key words that you think of when someone talks av “Australian Cuisine”.

  • If you see or hear a word during the following activities in this Update, then give your word a tick.
  • If you manage to mark off all 10 words then jump up and down 5 times for a prize.

Next.....

  • Write down 3 dishes that you like to eat.
  • Would you class these foods as Australian or Other?

Comment: Which is your top or favourite Australian dish? Look at other students' favourite dishes and comment on the "top' dishes and why you think they are popular.

Fig. 1: Vegemite on toast is very Australian!

 

For the Teacher

To get students thinking about the kind of words they associate with Australian Cuisine have them record 10 key words that they think they may hear when listening to information about or discussing Australian Cuisine. 

This activity draws on their prior experiences and knowledge of what they consider to be Australian cuisine.

 

2. Australia's Favourite Foods

For the Student

Learning Intention: To understand the diversity of Australian cuisine.

  • Certain foods are local and unique to Australia and have been favourites of Australia for many decades.
  • How many can you list?

Look up what Wikipedia says about Australian Cuisine:

Comment: What are the factors that make if difficult to define what Australian cuisine is? Comment on other students' comments by starting with @Name.
 
Fig. 2: Pavlova is seen as a uniquely Australian food.

For the Teacher

This Update introduces an important theme of this Learning Module about diversity and developing students' appreciation of diversity in Australian culture through the study of food.

3. Defining Australian Cuisine

For the Student

Learning Intention: To define Australian cuisine.

Draw up a table of the diversity of Australian cuisine. Do some research to add at least three foods under each heading - you can add more. Go back through your list of 3 favourite dishes and see if you can now classify them under the headings.

Australian Favourites Bush Tucker Asian Food European Food Modern Australian Food Other
           
           
           

Comment: Write your definition of Australian cuisine. Look at other students' definitions, and keep modifying them until we have an agreed class definition.

Fig. 3: Australian Barbecues can represent many different influences, including Asian, American and European.

 

For the Teacher

This activity will reinforce the diversity of Australian cuisine and its range of influences. It also requires collaboration to develop a shared understanding of what is Australian cuisine. 

Add comments to the discussion to challenge and extend students' thinking where necessary.

4. Aboriginal Food Sources Note Taking Grid

For the Student

Draw up a 3 x 3 grid.

Your teacher is going to show you a presentation about Aboriginal food sources.  After each slide record the important points or information from that slide.

Bush Tucker Foods.pdf
Australian Food and Drink Native Australians
Bush Tucker Research Food.pdf

 

For the Teacher

Give students a list of foods considered bush tucker and ask them to identify:

1. The foods they have heard of.

2. The foods they have tried.  

Have a class discussion about this.

For each slide in the presentation, students write down the most important information presented in each square of the grid.

After going through the powerpoint, students can reinforce their knowledge through working through the sheet. 

To extend student knowledge they can research different types of bush food using the bush tucker research food.pdf'

5. Aboriginal Food and Healthy Eating

For the Student

Revisit the Healthy Eating Guidelines.

Explain what it means to have a balanced diet.

Have a look at the types of food eaten by Aboriginals before white settlement.

Divide the foods eaten into categories from the healthy eating guidelines.

Graph the foods according to how many appear in each food type.  Print your graph.

Comment: Compare your graph of the Aboriginal foods with the Healthy Eating Guidelines plate. Write 2 comments about what you notice.

 

Healthy Eating Poster.pdf
Aboriginal Foods Find a Word.pub

For the Teacher

Reintroduce students to the Healthy eating Plate/guidelines

Using the information of Aboriginal foods from the find a word have students use excel to sort the foods into their food groups. Using the graph wizard, have the students make the information into a pie graph. 

Ask students to analyse the diet of Aboriginals according to how healthy it is when comparing this to the healthy eating guidelines.

The Comment encourages metacognition about the information in the graph.

6. Aboriginal Diet Group Activity

For the Student

Group Activity:Pros, Cons and Questions chart.  What are the pros of the Aboriginal Diet and their food sources, What are the Cons and what Questions does it raise.

 

PCQ.emf

For the Teacher

 

This activity focuses on developing critical thinking.

7. Cooking Bush Food

For the Student

You are going to prepare and try a recipe that uses bush food in its ingredients.

 

Lemon Myrtle No Bake Cheesecake.docx

 

For the Teacher

Students cook a recipe that uses bush food ingredients.  Suggestion - Lemon Myrtle No Bake Cheesecake

Have students evaluate their skills during the cooking process.

8. Case Study - The Red Ochre Restaurant

For the Student

Read the information about the Red Ochre Restaurant and its menu. Then answer the attached questions attach.

 

Case Study.doc

 

For the Teacher

Have students read the information about the red Ochre Restaurant, look at the menu and answer the questions attached to the sheet.

9. World Map

For the Student

As you learn about the food and facts about each country colour them in on a world map.

For the Teacher

Have students identify each of the countries looked at as examine new countries and foods on a map of the world.

 

10. Food and Australian Settlement

For the Student

View the Prezi at this address Food and Australian Settlement. 

Answer these questions that are asked in the Prezi:

What do you already know about the early settlers?

What do you think would have been the main issues for the people of the first fleet when looking at the food they bought with them?

What are some of the problems that have occurred due to the introduction of European game animals?

How does salting or drying preserve meat?

For the Teacher

Information for this activity can be access at this website.

During the Prezi presentation, students will be asked to consider a number of factors in relation to what they have covered including:

  • What they already know about the early settlers.
  • What they think the main issues would have been for the people of the First Fleet when looking at the food they bought with them.
  • Some of the problems that have occurred due to the introduction of European game animals.
  • How does salting of drying preserve meat?

11. Early Settlers Food

For the Student

Identify 15 - 20 important key words from the information delivered during the Prezi on Food and Australian Settlers. Alternatively youcan read through the Colonial Tucker article and choose your key words to place into a word cloud.

Create a Wordcloud at Wordle or Tagul or Worditout. 

 

Colonial Tucker Newspaper article.pdf

For the Teacher

 

This activity enables students to further develop their vocabulary about Bush Tucker. They could share their word clouds by creating their own Update and adding the image.

12. Traditional and Contemporary Damper

For the Student

You will be cooking a traditional and contemporary damper.  Answer the questions on the grid relating to the two.

 

Damper_Recipe.docx

For the Teacher

Have students cook traditional and contemporary damper and compare the difference between the two.

13. The Gold Rush

For the Student

What do you know about the Who, What, Where, When and Why of the Gold Rush in Australia?

During this activity you will play an interactive game about what it was like for Chinese immigrants to live during the Gold Rush.

Comment: After playing answer these questions:

How did you go during the game? Did you make it rich?

What was the staple foods eaten my miners during the gold rush?

What information did you find out about Chinese immigrants during the gold rush?

For the Teacher

Have students experience an interactive game of what it was like for the Chinese immigrants to live in the gold rush.

This activity can be accessed at The Gold Rush. 

14. Chinese Market Gardens

For the Student

Read the article about Chinese Market Gardens and answer the questions.

 

Chinese Market Gardens.doc

For the Teacher

Give each student a copy of the newspaper article Chinese Market Gardens to read and answer the questions.

15. Cook Chinese Food

For the Student

You will cook a meal using traditional Chinese styles and techniques.

Try eating/picking things up with chopsticks.

 

How to Use Chopsticks.doc

 

For the Teacher

Give the students a recipe to cook using traditional Chinese style and ingredients e.g. Honey Soy Kebabs.

 

16. History of Anzac Biscuits

For the Student

Read the article about Anzac biscuits.

Record 5 statements from the article that you find interesting, would like to challenge, agree or disagree with.  Briefly state why you wrote each statement in your book.

Share one of your statements with your group:

Read your statement.

Ask each member of your group to comment on the statement.

Give your own comment about why you included this statement.

Cook Anzac biscuits and hot spam sandwiches.

ANZAC Biscuits History.doc

For the Teacher

 

Have students read the article about ANZAC biscuits and their history.

As they read students write 5 statements in their books from the article that they have a strong reactions to - agree, disagree, challenge or question - and briefly outline why they recorded this statement.

In groups of 4 students take turns to choose one of their statements to read to the other members of the group and have the other members in turn comment on their thoughts reactions to the statement.  Student who read out the statement goes last to comment to the rest of the group.

Cook Anzac biscuits and hot spam sandwiches.

 

17. Amazing Australian Foods

For the Student

Read the article Amazing Australian Foods.

Identify 5 - 7 most important pieces of information you feel have been presented in the article.

Use the information in the artlicle to help you design a poster "Amazing Australian Foods".  Your poster needs to try and reflect the 5 - 7 important pieces of information that you identify from the article.  You have a 20 word limit to use on your poster.

Alternatively you may be asked to complete a timeline that incorporates information from the article to help you with dates, pictures and labels.

 

 

For the Teacher

Alternatively, students may be asked to complete a timeline that incorporates information from the article to help them with dates, pictures and labels.

 

Amazing Australian Foods war - now.doc

18. Australian Food - The Past, the Present and the Future

For the Student

See attached Assignment sheet

Australian Food past present and future assignment.doc
Australian Food past present and future Brief and Reflection.doc

For the Teacher

Students work individually or in groups to create a presentation about Australian food in the past, the present and the future.

 

19. Cooking Australian Food

For the Student

Have a go at cooking some 'traditional' Australian food such as Tim Tams and Aussie Meat Pies

 

Tim Tams.pdf
Tim Tams.doc
Australian Meat Pie.doc

For the Teacher

Use the attached recipes to cook 'traditional' Australian foods. Include a reflection.

 

20. What do you know about Indian Cuisine?

For the Student

With a partner, discuss what you know about India. Consider "Country", "Culture" and "People".

Comment: Share any information you already know about India. Then comment on other students' comments.

For the Teacher

This Update focuses on class discussion of students pre knowledge about India.

21. Southern India Viewing Activity

For the Student

As you watch the Planet Food DVD on Southern India, record any new information on your India table from the India pre knowledge activity in a different colour.

For the Teacher

Using the table from the India Pre knowledge activity have students add to their information in a different colour as they watch the Planet Food DVD on Southern India.

22. Cooking Indian Food

For the Student

Have a go at cooking samosas.

Samosa Recipe.doc

For the Teacher

Demonstrate and have students cook samosas - a traditional Indian recipe.

23. What do You Know about Thailand?

For the Student

With a partner, discuss what you know about Thailand. Consider "Country", "Culture" and "People".

Comment: Share any information you already know about Thailand. Then comment on other students' comments.

For the Teacher

 

Class discussion about what students already know about Thailand.

24. Viewing Activity on Thailand

For the Student

As you watch the Planet Food Thailand dvd record any new information that you find out about Thailand in a different colour on the table you used for the what do you know about Thailand activity.

For the Teacher

The dvd extends student knowledge of Thailand.

25. Cooking Thai Food

For the Student

Have a go at cooking some Thai food

 

Thai Green_Curry.JPG

For the Teacher

Demonstrate and have students cook some Thai food.

26. France Viewing Activity

For the Student

While watching the Planet Food DVD on Burgundy record 3 pieces of information for each heading in the table. 

French Food French Culture French People French Country Landscape
       
       
       

 

For the Teacher

 

Explore French Culture

27. Cooking French Food

For the Student

Have a go at cooking French food.

French Crepes

For the Teacher

Demonstrate and have students prepare some French food.

28. Discover Greek Cuisine

For the Student

Read the information about Greek cuisine and answer questions about it.

Greek Cuisine 1.pdf
Greek Cuisine 2.pdf

 

For the Teacher

Give students information about Greek Cuisine and have them answer questions about the information.

 

29. Cooking Greek Cuisine

For the Student

Have a go at cooking some Greek cuisine.

Chocolate Baklava.doc

For the Teacher

Demonstrate and have students cook some traditional Greek Food.

30. Greek Research Task

For the Student

Use the Internet to reasearch information about Greek, culture, people and food.  Make sure you cite every reference site you use.

Greece Research Question Sheet

For the Teacher

Give students a copy of the research sheet and have them research the information needed.

31. The History of Caesar Salad

For the Student

Brainstorm what you know about the history, ingredients and other for Caesar Salad.  

Read the information about Caesar Salad and underline any interesting and important statements from the text.

Pick what you think are the 5 most important statements and sort them into an order of importance.  Write a comment about why you included each statement.

Add to your original brainstorm in a different colour.

Comment on who you think is the real inventor of Caesar Salad and why.

History of Caesar Salad

For the Teacher

  1. Ask the students to brainstorm what they know about Caesar salad under the headings of: Ingredients, History, Other and copy into their books
  2. Give the students the Caesar Salad sheet. 
  3. Have the students underline /identify interesting important statements while reading.
  4. Have the students identify what they think is the 5 most important/interesting statements they need to write the statements in what they consider order of importance/interest in their book.
  5. Have students revisit the brainstorm in their book and add to the brainstorm in a different colour.
  6. Ask student to write a comment about who they think is the real inventor of Caesar salad and why.

32. Cooking American Food

For the Student

Have a go at cooking some traditional American food.

Spicy Baked Chicken and Caesar Salad

For the Teacher

Demonstrate and have students prepare some traditional American food.

33. American Traditional Food

For the Student

Answer some focus questions from information presented on a Powerpoint about American food.

Discover North America.ppt\\

For the Teacher

Go through the Powerpoint with the students and have them answer the focus questions as they go.

34. The Real Story of Halloween

For the Student

Watch the dvd "The Real Story of Halloween"

The Real Story of Halloween.doc

For the Teacher

Give students the question sheet about Halloween and have them answer the first question about what they already know about Halloween and share with the class.

Have students answer question 2 while watching the dvd "The Real Story of Halloween"

After the dvd have the students answer the last two questions.

35. Maple Syrup

For the Student

Maple Syrup

Maple_yrup.doc

For the Teacher

Give students the information sheet to read and answer about Maple Syrup.

36. Cooking Canadian Food

For the Student

Cooking Canadian Food
White Chocolate Strawberry and Maple Syrup Cupcakes

For the Teacher

Demonstrate and have sudents prepare food using traditional Canadian ingredients.

37. Planet Food Mexico

For the Student

Planet Food Mexico
Planet FoodMexico.doc

For the Teacher

Give Students the worksheet to complete while watching the Planet Food dvd on Mexico.

 

38. Cooking Mexican Food

For the Student

Cooking Mexican Food
Mexican Food

For the Teacher

Demonstrate and have students cook some tradition Mexican food.

39. Around the World Assessment Task

For the Student

Around the World Assessment Task
Around the World Assessment Task

For the Teacher

Give students a copy of the assessment task to research and complete in their own time about a country of their choice.  The task has 4 parts.

Factual Information Research

Food /Menu Information Research - including practical assessment

Presentation of research information

Reflection

40. African Research Task

For the Student

African Research task

African Research Question

For the Teacher

Give students the research information sheet on Africa to complete using the Internet.

41. Cooking African Food

For the Student

Cooking African Food
Liberian Coconut Bread
South African Bread and Butter Pudding

For the Teacher

Demonstrate and have students cook traditional African recipes.

42. Australian Culture

For the Student

Learning Intention: To understand the contributions of migrants to Australia.

From learning about international cuisine, you will see that immigrants have benefited Australian life in many ways. However, many people are still fearful of migrants, and especially asylum seekers and refugees, coming to Australia. Read about the Impact of Immigration from the  Australian Government Department of Immigration and Border Protection website. 

Economic

Immigration is an important contributor to Australia’'s economy. It affects the demand side of Australia's economy through:

  • migrants' own spending (food, housing and leisure activities)
  • business expansion (investment to produce extra goods and services)
  • expansion of government services (health, education and welfare)
  • increased travel and tourism in Australia, including by overseas friends and families of immigrants.

It also affects the supply side of the economy through:

  • labour, skills and capital introduced into Australia
  • new businesses developed by migrants
  • migrant contributions to technology
  • increased access to and knowledge of international business markets.

Like all Australians, migrants pay taxes to, and receive benefits and goods and services from the government.

Research shows that overall, migrants contribute more in taxes than they consume in benefits and government goods and services.

Comment: Share some facts you learnt about the contributions of immigrants to Australian culture and life. Post a link to the information that you find. Comment on other students' comments, building on their ideas wherever possible.

Fig. xx: Welcome Refugees Demonstration in Melbourne.

 

 

For the Teacher

This activity problematises perceptions in government and the media that Australians should be fearful of migrants and asylum seekers - note the negative stereotype of calling asylum seekers and refugees "illegal immigrants". 

There are a range of websites that provide more information such as 

Immigrants Change Australia's Cultural Identity

Multiculturalism - Influence on Society

Impacts of Immigration - National Museum of Australia

Face the Facts - Human Rights Commission.

The Activity requires students to be active knowledge makers, contributing knoledge that they find. It is important to encourage students to be respectful and to challenge any negative comments

43. Acknowledgements

The original version of this Learning Module was designed by Cathy Wyatt.
 
Title: « Meat pie » par Taken byfir0002 | flagstaffotos.com.auCanon 20D + Canon 17-40mm f/4 L — Travail personnel. Sous licence GFDL 1.2 via Wikimedia Commons (Source); Fig. 1: Vegemite  "Vegemite on toast and a cup of coffee" by s2art - https://www.flickr.com/photos/s2art/3403915/. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons (Source); Fig. 2: Pavlova with Fruit by Kimberly Vardeman (Source); Fig. 3: Barbecue (Source);  Fig. 4: (Source); Fig. xx: Welcome Refugees Balloons by Takver (Source).