Pavlova: Pavlova is a New Zealand favorite, a beautiful dessert created to honor the Russian ballerina, Anna Pavlova after she visited the country in 1926. It is a combination of very simple food: meringue, whipped cream, fruits. That's all! Yet the result is heavenly dessert that looks just as fantastic as its taste.
Fish 'n' Chips: You can't get more Kiwi than "Fish 'n' Chips" - deep fried potato chips (in the US we might call them larger than life french fries) alongside battered pieces of fresh fish. Your New Zealand cuisine experience is incomplete without enjoying this traditional takeaway meal, served wrapped in paper.
Tamarillo: The Tamarillo is an egg-shaped fruit with a thin, deep red skin and soft flesh, with dark-colored seeds occupying about a third of the interior. The fruit is called the "Tree Tomato" in the rest of the world, but "Tamarillo" only in New Zealand. The flesh of the fruit has a tangy and mildly sweet taste.
Passionfruit: The passionfruit is an oval, dark-purple, wrinkly skinned fruit with bright yellow seeds and juice inside. The flavor is tangy, sweet and floral-fruity. It is grown widely in New Zealand and commonly eaten by cutting in half and scooping out the seeds with a spoon.
Feijoas: The feijoa fruit matures in autumn and is green, ellipsoid-shaped and the size of a chicken egg. The fruit is usually eaten by cutting it in half, then scooping out the pulp with a spoon. The fruits have a juicy, seeded pulp with an aromatic and sweet flavor.
L&P Soft Drink: L&P stands for Lemon and Paeroa, New Zealand's most famous soft drink. It was invented in 1904 after its maker tasted some mineral water near the town of Paeroa, and mixed it with lemon to make a particularly refreshing drink. This drink is still very popular today!
Marmite: Marmite is a popular spread in New Zealand made from yeast extract, a by-product of beer brewing. It is a sticky, dark brown paste with a distinctive, powerful flavour, which is extremely salty and savory - a little goes a long way. It is typically spread in a very thin layer with butter on bread.
Whitebait Fritters: The New Zealand whitebait is a small, sweet and tender fish with a delicate taste. The most popular way of cooking whitebait in New Zealand is the whitebait fritter, which is essentially an omelette containing whitebait. Purists use only the egg white in order to minimize interfering with the taste of the fish.
Green-lipped Mussels: The green-lipped mussel is a native New Zealand species of mussel with a dark brown shell and bright green lip around the edge of the shell. It is one of the largest types of mussels and commonly farmed in the Marlborough Sounds. Enjoy a plate of these mussels with a glass of award-winning New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.
Kumara: In New Zealand, sweet potato is known by it's Māori name, Kumara. It was a staple food for Māori before European contact. Kumara is commonly found in restaurants and grocery stores across New Zealand, although the majority of it is grown in the Northland region.
Hokey Pokey Ice Cream: Hokey pokey is a flavor of ice cream consisting of plain vanilla with small chunks of crunchy toffee swirled throughout. It is the most popular flavor after Vanilla in New Zealand, a nation with world-famous dairy products and one of the highest per capita ice cream consumptions in the world.
Lamingtons: Lamingtons are small squares of sponge (the Kiwi term for angel-food cake) covered in chocolate and shredded coconut. They are commonly found in New Zealand bakeries. They are sometimes served as two halves with a layer of cream and/or strawberry jam between.
