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New Zealanders, who normally like
to call themselves Kiwis, adore their food, as
witnessed in the fertile presence of small
restaurants and bakeries. It was particularly
astonishing to see small bakeries practically
sitting very close to each other, all peddling the
same kind of sausage rolls, savory pies, and sweet
pastries with just the littlest difference by their
various bakers. Their products are not only
scrumptious, but quite reasonably priced. Meat shops
are quickly becoming a relic of the past in United
States because of big chains of supermarkets, but
they are more than thriving in New Zealand. Food
products as a rule are costly, and why not? Most
products must be shipped to this isolated island
country and costs of transport are of course passed
on to the buyers. |
Most visitors to New Zealand have, as their first meal,
home-cooked dinner of vegetables and leg of lamb roasted to
perfection. With four million citizens and fifty million
sheep, it is not surprising that lamb meat is New Zealand’s
largest export.
Lamb from New Zealand, specifically the leg, is valued for
its tenderness and flavor. Although lamb from the United
States is becoming increasingly popular, there is really no
comparison between the two. Although this is the case, a
majority of Americans opt for the cheaper prices and milder
flavor of the American lamb.
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Kumara (enunciated as KOO-mah-rah),
is a popular root vegetable in New Zealand that is
commonly added to a dinner with roast lamb. It is in
reality a sweet potato variant that is indigenous to
the United States of America. Kumara was imported
into New Zealand by pioneer Maori settlers. It
resembles a chunky, waxy red potato, but has a taste
that is sweeter than the standard varieties of white
potato. The color of the flesh ranges in hue from
orange to pale yellow. Kumara can be utilized in any
recipe involving potatoes.
A popular New Zealand winter called butternut
pumpkin is also added in the dinner of roast lamb.
It has a tough shell which is dark green in color
and has an average measurement of approximately
eight to ten inches in diameter. The meat is a
brilliant orange and when cooked tastes a lot like
sweet potatoes. |
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The national dessert of New Zealand is the Pavlova, named in
honor of Anna Pavlova, the famous Russian ballerina of “The
Swan” fame. This sinfully rich dessert is made of whipped
cream, meringue, and fruit, and is reputed to be lighter
than air, a fact which explains why it was created as a
tribute to the graceful and light Russian prima ballerina.
Although the Aussies are also laying claim on the invention
of pavlova concoction, evidence found in old New Zealand
recipe books which outdate those provided by the Aussies
seem to incontestably prove the origin of the famous
dessert.
The Pavlova dessert lives up to its namesake. It is
full-bodied without being excessively heavy on the
digestion. Whipped cream fills a meringue crust and is
topped with fruit, mostly predominated by the kiwifruit.
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