A nation of islands the size of Colorado in the South Pacific is pretty remote. In fact, New Zealand’s nearest serious landfall is more than 900 miles away (Tasmania). But Aotearoa is far from lost at sea. Being part of the Commonwealth, one may wonder if we’d be stuck with British cuisine, food that isn’t known for Michelin ratings. That answer is yes. But is New Zealand stuck in a rut with beans on toast and bangers and mash? Definitely not. Food is fresh, varied and sometimes surprising. From waffles to whitebait: New Zealand has the cravings covered.
The numbers will surprise you.
According to a July 2021 article on nzherald.co.nz, New Zealand, a nation of approximately five million, produces enough food to feed 40 million people.* It is, in fact, a major exporter of dairy, beef and lamb. In the event of a nuclear disaster, New Zealand may be one of the only island nations to be able to feed and sustain her population.
Personally, I’m delighted by the real estate occupied by wine grapes, avocadoes and berries, whose production make up more than 40,000 hectares combined in New Zealand.
And here I was worried about access to avocadoes when we moved Down Under, given our guacamole habit in Southwest Colorado.
Then once we walked the aisles of our grocery store, we were reassured about access to a variety of familiar and fresh foods. Is everything the same? No. There are foods we miss, like Annie’s Mac and Cheese and graham crackers and Clif bars. But we have discovered some new favorites, too, treats that will fill their own suitcase when we return to the states.
Read on for a pictorial guide of New Zealand eats.
There’s not one thing in this food “cabinet” I wouldn’t eat. Quiches, savory meat and cheese pies and hoagies stuffed with fresh veggies and chicken. (Display at our local Robert Harris, think of it as the Starbucks of New Zealand.)It’s a good thing we live 7 hours away from the Pembroke Patisserie in Albert Town. This French-inspired hot spot has to-die-for treats.As in Britain, “Chipperies” abound in New Zealand. And Long John Silver’s they are not: you can pick the type of whitefish that ends up in your oversized serving of steaming hot fish and chips. It might be the only comfort food that comes wrapped in yesterday’s news.Fish on the hospital menu sounds like risky business, but these fish cakes were pretty good. And certainly much better than whitebait, a small, worm-shaped fish smooshed with its siblings into patties and fried, a local delicacy that I simply can’t stomach. Much easier on the palate is brunch fare served with ice cream. Sometimes also with whipped cream, like an ice cream sundae. One can also enjoy waffles with the triple tummy threat of berry compote, ice cream AND whip.Wash that “sweet as” deliciousness down with a nice hot cuppa. New Zealand does coffee very, very well. (Unless it’s the instant stuff they have in hospital, don’t do that.) You can’t trip and fall here without landing in a shop that brews an amazing coffee. (Thank you, Columbus Coffee, for your hospitality. I’ve never been to coffee shop in a hardware store before.)More New Zealand breakfast porn. This lovely plate of pure yum comes courtesy of Cafe186 in Christchurch. This is the first cafe we ate at upon setting foot on the south island. To offset the filling brunch treats, we’ve made some delicious discoveries in the health foods department. Granola butter spread on a veggie crisp with a fresh feijoa is a satisfying snack.The produce aisle at our local New World grocer is well-stocked with a rainbow of fresh fruit and veggies. We can’t always get elephant garlic and fresh limes, and I nearly bought out the store when the Honey Crisp apples made their brief autumn appearance, but we have plenty of other fresh options. And the summer markets? They rival the ones we had back home.Paying the price: that’s about $15 a pound USD for limes. Exports we pay through the nose for. Most meat raised in New Zealand is grass-fed. I bought a can of the chocolate variety shortly after we moved to New Zealand. That was more than a year and a half ago. The can is still in my pantry. Just not hungry enough to try it yet.So my daughter was the brave soul who tried the brewers’ yeast-derived spread we can thank Australia for. Doctored up with spices and stuff, Vegemite has a ton of umami, like bouillon. It may also take the paint off a wall, who knows. It can be found in New Zealand as a cracker or “crisp” flavor, as well as in bread swirls that look deceptively like cinnamon rolls. You make that mistake once. Only once.Behold the wall of Tim Tams. Australia redeems itself with these beauties. And leave it to the Kiwis to make them their own with the “Tim Tam Slam:” Simply bite off both ends of your Tim Tam, and use what’s left as a straw to drink your tea.But spread lovers, rejoice: Nutella in all its glory is a favorite here in New Zealand. You can get thimble-sized jars for stocking stuffers at Christmas, but who would do that when you can buy Costco-sized barrels enrobed in holiday patterns?“Spiced Pumpkin Latte Cake” the chalkboard outside the bakery said. Too pretty to cut into? Only if you’re not craving that warm sweet spice that lovers of fall pine for. Obviously we are not those people. It tasted like pure autumn hygge.
