Pavlova – The Great Debate
Pavlova – the humble dessert named after a Ballerina that divides two countries. While some pavlova lovers in Australia and New Zealand bicker about this lovely dessert’s origins, I decided to do some research to find out the truth behind the Pavlova’s origins and history. It’s first incarnation was from NZ in 1927, where the ladies of the Terrace Congregational Church published a recipe book which included a meringue cake recipes. By 1929, it was published in a number of books, but this mixture was baked into 3 dozen meringue rings. The meringue rings were very popular in New Zealand by the 1930′s. However, that’s when Australia butts in – the good ol’ pav recipe that we know of today comes from Herbert Sachse, the Chef of the Hotel Esplanade in Perth. Because of Sachse’s adapted version of the pavlova, the crown of who actually owns this dessert belongs to Australia.
“It is possible, if ungenerous, to deride the pavlova for culinary innocence. It was adopted from New Zealand. Yet Herbert Sachse made a genuine, crystallising contribution. The pavlova served its original purpose admirably. It then caught the popular imagination. Distilling the Australian concept of sweet living, it is the single great discovery thus far of our cooking.” (Historical info from http://www.inmamaskitchen.com/FOOD_IS_ART/reference/Pavlova.html)
No wonder Aussies and New Zealanders are at each others throats claiming which food comes from where, whether a particular star who has made it to the big time is really Australian or from NZ, etc. I’d have made a sheep/lamb dish, but then all these bad sheep jokes from both nations would come out. :p
I was going to make the pavlova except I saw a box of meringue rings on sale at the supermarket for $1. Yes, cheapness prevails. I also bought a box of frozen mixed berries that are on sale right now at $6.99 for the topping. So basically, if you’re lazy (or perhaps find a bargain on meringue rings!) just get your pavlova or meringue ring, and sprinkle fruits of your choosing (eg berries, passion fruit, etc) on top of the pavlova/meringue ring. You can also put a dollop of whipped cream onto the meringue ring or pavlova before putting on the fruits.
My verdict:
So what do I personally think of pavlovas? To be honest, it’s not exactly my most favourite dessert. That aside, I thought it was ok. The only thing I would do differently is make the pavlova myself… mainly because the meringue rings didn’t taste that fantastic. Mum reckoned that it was mostly sugar instead of egg whites… and upon looking at the box, she was right. The first ingredient on the list was sugar. Bummer. Just goes to show that sometimes bargains aren’t always good as they seem!
Medal: Bronze
You make the mistake here of equating meringue with pavlova. They are not the same thing at all. Meringue is hard all the way through and crumbles when you eat it. A pavlova has a hard shell, but is light and spongey inside. Meringue is basically sugar and egg white, pavlova requires cornflour and/or arrowroot and vinegar to achieve the necessary lightness.
You’ve also got the history wrong. The story is more complicated, and still the subject of dispute. The earliest recipes for “pavlova” in NZ were, in fact, not pavlovas, but jelly desserts. Those in the 20s were mostly meringues. However, Henry Sachse admitted in an interview that he adapted his pavlova from a NZ recipe, so his is not the first either. There have been some serious attempts to nail down the exact origin of the pav. So far none is definitive, but it looks like the first genuine recipes may have come from NZ in the late 20s, been adapted and then popularised in Australia in the 40s.