National SweetHeart

Here in Dubai and in New Zealand I have met and am good friends with many Australians, of course there has always been friendly ( and not so) rivalry between the two nations when it comes to sport, But there is also a not to well known subject that does not make the head lines to often, and I had this very conversations just a few days ago....

Who owns Pavlova?

Pavlova is a staple of Christmas Dinners down under, it is served when ever there is a family gathering, it can not be beaten has a summer dish and if asked to contribute a dessert to a dinner party, make a pavlova.

It should be crisp on the outside and soft and gooey in the middle, with its crunchy exterior giving way to the delights of a marshmallow core, the pav is a miracle of chemical reaction. It should be filled with softly whipped cream and topped with fresh fruit the best is squeezed fresh Passion Fruit, sliced Kiwifruits with a scattering of Strawberries or Raspberries.

It's a national treasure of a dessert, The French have the Brulee, the English the Trifle and the Americans the Cobbler. So we have to prove the Aussies can not call Pav theirs.

I found this write up about it in a foody magazine so to all my Australian friends Kiwi's win this one.

I quote: "Deep in the underbelly of Trans-Tasman gastronomic rivalry, no debate continues to rage more fervently than that between Australia and New Zealand over who invented the pavlova. It is real food fight for what is in fact our national and most beloved dessert, cue a haka worthy of the All Blacks.

The "Pav" was named after the Russian ballerina of the 1920s, Anna Pavlova.The crisp folds of meringue are said to resemble those of her tutu, and the texture to be as as light as she was. This much is agreed. But where did Palova originate?

One arument has it invented in 1930s Western Australia by the chef of the Empire Hotel in Perth, Bert Sachse, ( obviously known to be a Kiwi.)

It was certainly possibly that it was here that it was given its name, but fortunately there is consistant evidence to prove that it was invented in New Zealand.

Recipes have been discovered dating back to 1929 in New Zealand, in this historical struggle, so the Kiwis win."

Me, I don't really care who invented it it is still my all time favorite dessert and I can make a mean "Pav"

Kathryn and Iain had Pavlova filled with ice-cream as a birthday cake when they were younger and they would choose the flavorings, one especially good one was:

Chocolate sauce on the base, topped with vanilla and chocolate ice-cream, a layer of cream and raspberries and scattered with chocolate sprinkles.

Another good one cream, passionfruit coating slices of poached peaches and topped with kiwifruit as per picture ( did you notice it is an Aussie picture. sorry NZ )