Name: Tasmanian food: how to cook like a local
Cuisine: Tasmanian

Tasmanian cuisine

A tiny but wild island-off-an-island at the end of the world. The last stop between Australia and Antarctica, Tasmania is a pristine wilderness abounding in natural beauty and ingredients with a purity of flavour. From the abalone (large sea snails) that pepper the whole coastline, to oysters, mussels, sea urchins, fresh seaweed and rock lobsters, the seafood options are ingrained in the eating culture of the island. Wild local game and bush food plants, part of the indigenous diet, are in abundance, too.

Another taste of Tasmania is leatherwood honey. Unique to the island, it comes from a rainforest plant that flowers for just six to eight weeks of the year. The flavour has been described as a taste of the Australian bush after it rains: buttery, creamy and distinctive.

This is also a place of farmers’ markets, oyster shacks, cult fish ’n’ chip shops, food festivals, distilleries and vineyards. Tasmanian wine is particularly hot right now – House of Arras EJ Carr Late Disgorged 2004 was named best sparkling wine in the world in Decanter’s Wine of the Year 2020 tasting. The island is cooled by the Southern Ocean, making ideal growing conditions for classic sparkling wine grapes such as pinot noir and chardonnay. Production is small but there are some great bottles to try.