Skip to main content

Christmas Firsts #21 : Pavlova



Nothing quite as Aussie as a ‘pav’ at Christmas ? Continuing from yesterday’s Christmas first, today’s post stays with another favourite Christmas food. The pavlova is a much loved Aussie dessert, and is often served at a Christmas celebration in a wreath shape. Before I researched the FIRST pavlova for Christmas I was prepared to enter the controversy about ownership of the ‘pav” - Australia or New Zealand?

The pavlova is named after the famed Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova, who toured Australia and New Zealand in 1926. As the New Zealand story goes, the chef of a Wellington hotel at the time created the billowy dessert in her honor, claiming inspiration from her tutu. Australians, on the other hand, believe the pavlova was invented at a hotel in Perth, and named after the ballerina when one diner declared it to be “light as Pavlova.” (From food52 blog)

What I didn't know was that it would appear now that neither Australia nor New Zealand can lay claim to the first pavlova dessert. Besides there being many other gourmet dishes named after the famous ballerina long before her ‘down under’ tour of 1926, recent research by Dr. Andrew Paul Wood and Annabelle Utrecht (a New Zealander and an Australian, respectively), maintains that something very much like a pavlova was popular with the Austrian Habsburgs of the 18th century. They also found similar meringue, fruit and cream torte recipes among those brought to America by the German immigrants who settled in the Midwest. These researchers also claim that the 1911recipe  Strawberries Pavlova is the dessert we have come to love… 
Just to complicate things further, I think the FIRST time I ever saw a Christmas wreath pavlova was the one made by Mary Berry, from the Great British Bake Off show. I can’t say that Mary Berry was the first person to make a Christmas wreath pavlova but she must be amongst the more famous chefs. However, I note that there are you tube how to videos for Christmas pavlovas by Curtis Stone, Donna Hay amongst many others … and here is one chosen at random.



 Whatever the recipe or the variation, when you’re enjoying your Christmas pavlova, you might remember the controversy its origins have caused in the culinary world

Sources : https://food52.com/blog/16810-the-dessert-australians-and-new-zealanders-are-squabbling-over

http://www.mysquarefryingpan.com/berry-christmas-pavlova/

https://www.goodfood.com.au/eat-out/news/pavlova-research-reveals-desserts-shock-origins-20151010-gk5yv9

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pavlova_(food)
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Thanks for reading my blog and please share your thoughts about my blog post by leaving a comment.Your comment won't appear immediately as comments are verified before publication in an effort to reduce the amount of spam appearing. Anonymous comments will not be published.

Popular posts from this blog

Christmas Countdown #25envelopes/9 : Holly

  9 December Christmas Countdown #25envelopes : Holly . The Druids of ancient Britain believed holly leaves had great powers of fertility and longevity . Nowadays, Holly has become a symbol of a Christian Christmas. It is also said that the sharp holly represents the crown of thorns that Jesus wore, and the red berries the blood he shed, so it has quite a religious significance. Today’s envelope is a simple collage with paper and fabric. I couched (stitched) Holly ribbon and embroidered French knots for the berries. The Holly theme is inspired by one of my favourite Australian Christmas stamps, depicting an angel with holly leaf wings . Today, I was stitching the holly ribbon onto the envelope at the Wednesday group and had planned to glue on some paper berries but a friend convinced me that embroidered ones would look much better and I think she is right!
Post a Comment
Read more

#SeptTextileLove Day 5

  #SeptTextileLove #STL26Day5   ‘Caring’ … so much of what textile artists do involves caring - for the environment , for others, for our own health and well-being , for social justice, for our art … today I’m advocating caring about sourcing our materials . I use lots of embroidery thread and it is sometimes tempting to buy cheaper imported threads than the ones I really love to work with, - hand dyed right here in Australia by a small    family business . I looked at one of the omnipresent online ads with its    incorrect spelling and the suggestion that bulk is better gives strong    hints about the ‘quality’ and the price makes me wonder about the working conditions and rights of those who produce and package the thread?    I care that the people who make the materials I use get a fair wage and work in safe conditions. I also care that the quality of the materials I use are the best I can afford and have the least negative impact on ...
Post a Comment
Read more

#SeptTextileLove26 Day 7

  #SeptTextileLove #STL26Day7 ‘Historical’ ... Family history is often a source of inspiration and information for my work. This stitched work featuring a photo of my great grandmother also acts as a commentary on the Chinese historical practice of foot binding, hence the inclusion of an x ray photograph of a female bound foot. It looks painful and undoubtedly was , but it was considered 'beautiful". What contemporary body shaping practices do we still engage in for the sake of ‘beauty’? Historical body shaping practices included tight-lacing corsets, foot binding, and neck elongation , all used to mould the human form into culturally defined ideals of beauty. (AI overview) Foot Binding in China Starting from Song elites and eventually popularized and ended in the Qing dynasty, foot binding was seen as an idolized representation of women's petite beauty, and the practice was referred to as "三寸金莲" , 'three-inch golden lotus' Wikipedia . This practice...
Post a Comment
Read more